The Mercado de la Cosecha Parladoiros will be held on Friday, 13 March, from 5pm at the Teatro Rosalía in A Coruña. Once again, they will give a voice to innovative initiatives carried out in the Galician countryside which could serve as inspiration and example for society as a whole.
On this occasion, eight rural entrepreneurs from different sectors and backgrounds will get up onto the stage to share their experiences with all those interested in finding out, in person, about ideas and proposals that have proved to add a differentiating value to our countryside:
Abella Lupa
Alexandre Cendón is a philosophy graduate who has reached the world of bee-keeping by chance. Abella Lupa has a double aim: to be an organic honey production project, and to recover and raise awareness about the cultural heritage associated with bee-keeping in Galicia. Besides this, it is an example of good practices acknowledged by the SEO Birdlife as Experiencia positiva en Red Natura (Positive experience on Red Natura) and it has won the Red Emprendeverde 2012 award, with a special mention for its significant contribution to the protection of biodiversity.
Casa Grande de Xanceda
Cristina Fernández Armesto set up an ecological farm in Mesía that produces dairy products using the fresh, ecological milk from the 380 cows that she has on the farm. Currently, there are 200 hectares of grazing lands and woods where the cows wander and graze freely. Sustainable development, the animals’ well-being, social commitment, and credibility are real principles applied in all that is around the farm, for example looking for alternative methods to deal with attacks from wolves such as to put mules among the cows so that they can warn the cows and the mastiffs of the presence of wolves.
Esponjas Luffa
After years of research to obtain the adequate genetic variety, Juan Carlos Mascato is dedicated to the cultivation of plant sponges like the Luffa Cylindrica. His philosophy of respect towards the land has taken them to produce everything without any type of products that contain chemicals or that damage the soil, and they re-use all the natural waste that is produced. The plant fibre of the Luffa Cylindrica has great potential, still to be exploited, in the field of biomaterials.
Elena Ferro
Elena Ferro is the third generation of a clog making family that has kept a traditional art alive, turning it into a means of living. To do so, they have transformed the use of an item with a traditional use into something that follows the latest fashions. She has created a new range of clogs with daring colours and designs to match the latest trends, taking nature and animals as inspiration, such as the “vuela mariquita vuela” (“fly, ladybird, fly”) clogs that won the Premio Artesanía Contemporánea Antón Fraguas. (Antón Fraguas Contemporary Craft Award)
Horta de Teodoro
Concerned about food and intrigued by why the countryside was being abandoned, Xan and Saleta thought about making their personal contribution to these two issues and setting up a Celta pig farm, fresh butchers and the manufacturing of traditional sausages.
Bico de Xeado
Bico de Xeado is the result of the evolution in the search for adding value to the milk from the farm Granxa O Cancelo. The ice-creams are made with organic milk and with local products, accompanied by high quality standards. The company belongs to the Cooperativa Agraria Provincial de A Coruña and its objective is to boost and promote the Galician dairy sector with new products and projects.
Amorodo
After winning a dessert making contest, María and Yolanda have taken a leap into the preservation of ecological fruit and vegetables in glass jars. Their recipes and processes have received a number of awards, and they use high quality local raw materials. Their position is a difficult one, but an essential link between producers and distributors.
Facenda O Agro/Casa Galeguesa
Located in the hills of the area of Santiago de Amoroce, near the border of Portugal. It is a Salers breed cattle farm, bred using an extensive farming system, and fed only forage and cereals, in the traditional way. They have their own cutting room in which they produce the Galeguesas with complete traceability. Making their own slogan true, “Galeguesas, do monte á túa mesa” (“Galeguesas, from the hills to your table”), they have recently opened their own “galeguesería” (Galician burger restaurant”) in the centre of Vigo called Casa Galeguesa.
The countryside as a way of life
Three renowned companies, Corporación Hijos de Rivera, Gadis and R, have decided to work together and dedicate part of our social commitment to the creation of the Mercado de la Cosecha, an initiatives platform belonging to those who share and put forward ideas that boost the competitive development of Galicia and the sustainability of rural areas.
One of the highlighted actions of the Mercado de la Cosecha are the Parladoiros, an event which is now in its third edition, and in which different speakers will share their experiences of when they faced the challenges offered by the countryside as a way of life. Through their personal stories, they will demonstrate that it’s possible to reach a high standard of living, and personal and professional development in rural areas.
Tickets to attend the event are available via the Servinova website. They cost €15 and all ticket sales will go towards the “Programa de Apoyo al Emprendimiento Agroalimentario” (Support for the Food and Agriculture Entrepreneurship Programme) run by the Fundación Juana de Vega.
