The Agricultural Cooperative of Olive Growers of Vila Flôr and Ansiães (CAOVA) resulted from the split of the Agricultural Cooperative of Vila Flôr, heir to the former Grémios da Lavoura (Farmers’ Guilds), which in 1986 began extracting olive oil from the cooperative members’ olives in a mill within the village.
In 2000, CAOVA moved to the Industrial Zone and received an investment project for a new mill, with the acquisition of modern machines for two-phase olive oil extraction, which eliminate waste water.
Designed by President Hélder Teixeira and the former president, the new mill was modernised and enabled a technological advance of 40/50 years in olive oil production.
It was in 2000 that Trás-os-Montes began producing high-quality olive oil in large quantities!
– President Eng. Hélder Teixeira
Initially, CAOVA resold olive oil to multinational olive oil companies. Today, with around 700 olive growers, 3 million kg of olives per year, 3 olive oil brands, markets in Portugal, Spain, France and Belgium, and an economic value of €2 million, CAOVA no longer needs to sell olive oil in bulk.
“We were among the first to promote packaged olive oil in Trás-os-Montes. At the time, there were a few multinational companies that packaged olive oil, such as Galo, Oliveira da Serra, and David Coimbra. Only the Vila Flôr and Ansiães Olive Growers’ Agricultural Cooperative and another cooperative in Alentejo packaged olive oil in bottles for the public.”
– President Eng. Hélder Teixeira
CAOVA’s olive oil brands are Azeite Bioflor, an organic olive oil brand, Douro Superior, an olive oil brand for internationalisation, and Azeite de Olivicultor, an olive oil brand for the local market.
“We have many cooperative members who take olive oil to their families, friends, and acquaintances. With each cooperative member, we have a salesperson!”
– President Eng. Hélder Teixeira
CAOVA has helped to raise the profile of local olive oil since the 1980s, when it began to gain national and international recognition.
President Hélder Teixeira, always dedicated to agriculture
Arriving from Angola in 1979 during the Overseas War, the President went to study at the Carvalhais Agricultural School, where he completed his 12th year and a professional course. He later obtained a bachelor’s degree from the Castelo Branco Agricultural School and a degree in Animal Science and a Master’s degree in Food Quality and Safety from the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança.
He initially worked as a feed salesman, but 32 years ago, he began working at the Vila Flôr Agricultural Cooperative as a technician. Later, he became an executive advisor and in 2003, he became president of the cooperative.
Over the last 32 years, the biggest challenge faced by the president was the payment of €1,863,000 in old debt and getting the cooperative back into the hands of the farmers.
“The member said he had weighed it on another scale and filed a complaint with the GNR. I wasn’t at the scale, I didn’t see the weighing or the farmer, and I was called to the GNR to testify. The judge named me as a defendant with identity and residence for one year. Then, as the scales were certified and everything was in accordance with the law, after a year they dropped the charges against me due to lack of evidence.”
– President Eng. Hélder Teixeira
A unique olive oil
In the past, there was olive oil from Trás-os-Montes, olive oil from Alentejo and olive oil from Beiras. Olive oil from Alentejo suffered greatly from the high temperatures in the region and today, despite the large olive groves, olive oil designated as originating from Alentejo is small in comparison to the total olive oil produced in this region.
The large olive groves of Alentejo are industrial productions without native varieties or varieties that embody the true “terroir”. This olive oil comes from improved varieties that exist in Chile, South Africa, Australia and also in Portugal.
“Producing a bottle of olive oil in Alentejo can cost €0.60, while the same amount of olive oil produced in Trás-os-Montes costs €2.80. In Alentejo, olive oil producers have a margin of €2 to cover communication and marketing costs.”
– President Eng. Hélder Teixeira
Producing olive oil in Trás-os-Montes involves high costs, as the varieties are native without genetic improvement, requiring little care, produced extensively and without a high density of trees.
While in Alentejo it is possible to plant more than 1,000 trees per hectare, producing an average of 13 tonnes of olives and harvesting in one hour, in Trás-os-Montes they can only plant 200 trees, producing an average of 2 tonnes of olives and harvesting in 2 days.
“Not all olive oil is the same. Olive oil does not all taste the same. Olive oil varies from one location to another and from one variety to another.”
– President Eng. Hélder Teixeira
Olival in Trás-os-Montes: challenges and opportunities
Trás-os-Montes is ageing. Most of the olive grove owners do not live in the region and when they return to Trás-os-Montes, they come back with nostalgia and longing for their childhood, but without any knowledge of how the olive groves have evolved.
“I don’t foresee much business development in agricultural properties, but I would like to see professional farms appear.”
– President Eng. Hélder Teixeira
Despite financial incentives for investment in agriculture, Trás-os-Montes will not achieve a turnaround like the one that occurred in Alentejo. The plots are small, measuring 10,000 m² or 20,000 m², and many of the properties are still awaiting division among family members.
The challenge of climate change
Climate change has a direct impact on olive production. Rising temperatures, humidity and wind have forced olive groves to move up the slopes, as the environment below is becoming too hot and conducive to a higher incidence of olive fruit fly and olive moth.
“A few years ago, we couldn’t have olive trees in this area because the cold and frost would burn them. Now we have olive trees that are 20 years old and we’re already up to 650 metres above sea level!”
– President Eng. Hélder Teixeira
The olive groves in Trás-os-Montes do not require much care, and what care is needed is not harmful to the environment. The olive groves only need to be ploughed once or twice and cleared every three years. No treatments or heavy fertilisation are used, little herbicide is used, the trees are sparsely planted and production is not very intensive.
Scales in olive oil mills: from tradition to modernity
Controlling the weight of the olives is essential for the cooperative to function, as this is the only way they can control the olive oil produced by each of their members.
Initially, CAOVA worked with just one production line and one set of scales, and the software did not transfer data directly to the Farmers’ Management Software.
When they started working with Barcelbal, they acquired the GestLagar Software. The acquisition of Barcelbal’s software allowed CAOVA to automatically enter the weighing data into the Farmers’ Management Software.
CAOVA’s goal is to stop working with paper and have all processes recorded online on its website. This way, members can access their information quickly and anywhere.
“Barcelbal’s scales and services work well. To date, I haven’t had any major problems. They’re a bit pricey, but they get the job done!”
– President Eng. Hélder Teixeira
CAOVA’s success is our success!
