On a beautiful, warm summer afternoon, we went to Portagem, in the municipality of Marvão, to have a picnic with one of the founders of the Terrius company, Rita Beltrão Martins, to find out a little more about this company, whose main objective is to care for the environment and produce sustainable products.
This company has been a partner of Despensa Franciscana since day one, proving that sharing between entrepreneurs, especially in Alto Alentejo, is an asset for business.
DF: Rita, since you're from Trás-os-Montes, how did you come up with the idea of setting up a company in the Alto Alentejo?
RBM: I actually lived in Trás-os-Montes until I was 23 (in Vila Real), but my family originated in the Alentejo - on my mum's side in Portel and on my dad's side in Borba - so there has always been a great deal of contact and admiration for this part of the country. My partner, Filipe Verdasca, who lived in Évora for many years and whose family comes from different parts of the Alentejo, is also connected to this region. The idea of starting the project in Marvão began precisely because of the unique beauty of this region, and because I fell in love with Marvão and the Serra de São Mamede on my first visit in 2006. At that time I said "one day I'm going to develop a project here and I'm going to come and live here!". That day came six years later. There is undoubtedly a magic about this place that can't be explained in words, but can only be understood by coming here!;)
DFWhat steps did you take to get here and what has been your life journey?
RBMI've always wanted to work in agriculture and food... perhaps because of family influence, as several people in my family are involved in agriculture. I started by studying Zootechnical Engineering, then I took a master's degree in Food Safety and, over the years, I've always worked on projects linked to traditional Portuguese products. In 2009, I was responsible for developing and running a Douro wine shop, which also sold other local products, and I realised my passion for explaining how the best Portuguese products are made to those who visit our country. At the same time as I met Marvão, I had also met Filipe Verdasca, with whom I really enjoyed working and, over the years, we talked about developing a project in the Alentejo. We finally decided that the time had come to move forward with "that" project that had once been promised to Marvão, and so Terrius was born in 2012!
DF: How do you define Terrius?
RBM: Terrius is a company focussed on the Agri-Food sector with three different but complementary strands. We develop innovative, high-quality products, based on the raw materials available in the Alto Alentejo region and the principles of the Circular Economy, with the aim of valorising smaller fruits and other under-valued products such as acorns. We promote gastronomic and agricultural tourism programmes, in which the main focus is on making agricultural and gastronomic traditions known to those who visit our country. And finally, with all the experience we've acquired over the years, we've carried out consultancy and training work in the areas of new product development, exports, the circular economy and combating food waste.
DFWhat kind of products/experiences do you have to offer customers?
RBM: The Terrius family of products is made up of flours such as acorn, chestnut and mushroom flours, dehydrated products such as mushrooms, preserves and sauces such as pimento mustard, but there's nothing like coming here for a taste!;)
As for experiences, they can be all over the country, we have many possibilities, and they can always be adapted to the preferences of each of our clients. One of the most popular are picnics in unique, very special places, accompanied by Cante Alentejano, in Marvão, Évora, Mourão or anywhere in the Alentejo. Cookery classes and themed tastings are also very popular! The tastings in particular are very successful, because our aim is to show that we can do incredible tastings of many products, in addition to wine, and also visit the places where they are produced, or see the products being harvested.
DF: As a businesswoman, have you ever found it difficult to settle in the interior of the Alentejo?
RBM: Lots of difficulties, but we're always here to overcome them! At the moment, the greatest difficulty of all is undoubtedly the cost of transport and the winter period, due to the increase in energy costs.
On the other hand, we were the ones who chose Marvão for its unique charm, and we continue to believe that we can overcome all these difficulties.
DFAre business partnerships, such as the one with the Franciscan Pantry, important for your type of business?
RBMThey're very important and becoming more so! We can't achieve anything or get anywhere on our own. Promoting our products on the various channels and in the different ways that each partner develops is very important if we want to grow, reach further and for more customers to get to know our full range of products and gastronomic experiences.
DFWhat can we expect for the future of Terrius?
RBMWe always look forward to a positive and promising future! We continue to believe in making a difference in the gastronomy and tourism sector, particularly in bringing tourists closer to traditional agricultural production, showing its importance in terms of preserving traditions, nature and heritage. We want to go further and pass on this knowledge not only to foreign tourists, but also to the Portuguese and particularly to children.
We will continue to develop unique and delicious products, valorising by-products or forgotten resources such as acorns, and showing the world the best that is made in our beloved Alentejo and throughout the country in general. We believe that the future lies in reducing waste and making the most of what nature gives us, emphasising the importance of not all of us leaving the interior of the country, so that it doesn't disappear or end up totally destroyed by fires.
