Spanish retail becomes a priority for Alcobaça's Portuguese apple

Close to the coast of Nazaré, known to surfers from all over the world for its gigantic waves, grow the "Atlantic" apples of Alcobaça with a protected designation of origin that will soon be marketed in Spain by the Association of Apple Growers of Alcobaça under a collective brand. "The association was founded in 2001 to ensure that Portuguese consumers would appreciate the local apple again. It is smaller than the imported apples from Spain, Italy or France that started selling in Portuguese supermarkets in the 1990s after accession from Portugal to the European Union, but his taste is great," says Jorge Soares, president of the association. Apple orchards in Óbidos "At that time, the sector had to make great efforts to become more competitive: cooperatives and producer associations began to form, the orchards were renovated and modernized on the basis of the cultivation model in the Spanish province of Lleida and in 1994 the PGI registered for the Apple of Alcobaça," says Jorge, ...