Medronho production potential in Portugal presented at congress

The CEO of Medronho & Canela, Rui Lopes, was one of the guest speakers at the “Farm To Fork – Our Food, Our Health, Our Future” conference, at the invitation of CATAA – Centro de Apoio Tecnológico Agro-Alimentar, to talk about the nutritional, economic and social potential of Medronho production in Portugal.

The event took place in Castelo Branco on November 17, 2023, and Rui Lopes addressed various topics related to agroforestry and the incorporation of Medronho into the food industry.

He began his presentation by giving an overview of the chemical potential that the fruit offers when consumed in its natural state, but also of the interest in using it in the food industry, namely due to the presence of large quantities of components with antioxidant activity, minerals, organic acids, short-chain fatty acids, fibers, carbohydrates, phenolic compounds, among others.

In the second part of his speech, he referred to the potential of arbutus farms as firebreaks and in contributing to greater resilience and diversity in the ecosystems in which they are integrated. He also presented the production potential of a pilot farm, with very enthusiastic results, and made a comparison between a eucalyptus farm and a medronho farm, showing that the annual profitability of a medronho farm per hectare could be higher than the lifetime profitability of a eucalyptus plantation.

In his presentation, he also referred to the work that the company Medronho & Canela has been doing over the last 12 years, particularly in researching and developing raw materials and products from the Medronho fruit, focusing on the products that are already on the market: Medronho Bread and Bonbons and Truffles.

November 17th, 2023