| The IPBN is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland under the ESP Grant programme |
The IPBN has arranged two fascinating panels of speakers (click here to learn about panel one) who will be sharing their insights at the upcoming IPBN Agri-Business Conference at Vila Vita Parc Resort & Spa, created in partnership with Tourism de Algarve and Tourism of Portugal in Ireland. The conference will focus on organic farming, forestry, and the water supply in the Algarve, while highlighting local products and producers, and diving into information on what local businesses and communities are doing to help foster growth and sustainability within the sector.
Panel two of the Agri Business Review will be comprised of local producers in the region, each presenting their companies and explaining how they are moving through the sector sustainably, what their harvesting methods are, and how they are serving the local community with their fresh and meticulously curated products. To this effect, case studies will be presented by Vanda Lopes, CEO & Founder of Algarve Treasures Tours & Experiences, Ana Oliveira, Local Producer at Bees in Tube, Mara Mourinho, Local Producer at Quinta dos Três Irmãos' Frutas Mourinho, and lastly, Michael Stock, Local Wine Producer at Quinta dos Vales.
Vanda Lopes, armed with a Degree in Tourism, Marketing, and a Post Graduate Degree in Business Management has years of experience in Team Coordination, Project Management, Tours and Activities, Groups, Events, and more. Her project, Algarve Treasures is a tourism services company that organizes activities and tourist experiences in the Algarve region. The company meticulously curates its tours and experiences, working exclusively with local partners and a team with more than 20 years of experience. The company's mission is to share the genuine culture and traditions of the Algarve with its clients and visitors, showing what the Portuguese people of the region do in their daily lives. Her take on local products and services within the agri-sector will surely add value to the event.
As a local honey, wax wraps, pollen, beauty, and other bee-related product producer at Bees in Tube, Ana Oliveira, knows a thing or two about the agri-sector, and how to work with natural products and partners to create more buzz— like a recent partnership with local cork producers to add design and authenticity to some of their beauty products. Recently, the company posted on its social media that, "When there is so much talk about helping farmers when we have extreme drought, when we have fires, when we have too much rain, when fuel is running high and everyone asks for support, beekeeping will always be forgotten.... We beekeepers also have fuel expenses, treatment expenses, rain, drought, and fires— All this affects us... We continue to want more and better in beekeeping and that's why we fight every day for a better day!!! To all beekeepers a lot of strength and hope."
Mara Mourinho is the Research and Quality Manager at Frutas Mourinho, a family-run business dedicated to agriculture since 1975, starting with citrus fruit production and later expanding to avocados and later, pomegranate, all of which have been hugely successful harvests. While expanding their crop, the team has always had a foot squarely in sustainability, ensuring that their crop's footprint does not interfere with local wildlife and plant growth, combatting erosion, and preserving natural drains of rainwater into a tributary. The company relies heavily on solar energy and uses a hyper-efficient irrigation system to avoid undue overuse of water.
Situated in the heart of the Western Algarve, Quinta dos Vales Wine Estate is a 44-hectare vineyard, estate, and lodging facility that is considered one of the best wineries in southern Portugal, sprinkled with over one hundred stunning sculptures that create the perfect setting to enjoy the quinta's award-winning wines or to simply use as a setting for events, private executive meetings, or celebrations. Quinta dos Vales’ The Winemaker Experience is a new and exciting way for wine-lovers to turn into wine-makers through a privately owned vineyard. Micheal shared more on this topic with the IPBN in a recent interview and he will be going into more detail on the subject at the Agri Review, especially in the ways in which this experience merges with production and the various agricultural techniques at play in the vineyard.
If you have not already done so, please register here for the IPBN Agri-Business Conference to join us and find out more about how these and other players in the sector are moving things forward for a greener tomorrow.
| The IPBN is supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Ireland under the ESP Grant programme |
