Nuno Santos Casa do Azeite3 Nuno Santos holds a degree in Management from the Portuguese Catholic University and Harvard Business School. He is president of Fedolive – the European Union Olive Oil Industry – and, since May 2023, of Casa do Azeite – the Portuguese Olive Oil Association, which has “40 member companies representing, collectively, around 85 per cent of all branded olive oil packaged in Portugal”. He is also CCO (Chief Commercial Officer) at Sovena, one of the world’s leading companies in the olive oil sector, which owns the country’s largest olive grove. Sovena was founded in Portugal over 100 years ago, but now has a strong international presence. path to be followed throughout the region by cooperatives, small-scale producers and the younger generations who can still find in this land and these centuries-old olive trees a meaningful vision for the future. Trás-os-Montes has the olive trees. It has unique varieties. It has accumulated knowledge. It has proven quality. What it needs now is for the world to know this clearly and to be willing to pay what this rarity is truly worth. The year marking the 50th anniversary of Casa do Azeite – Associação do Azeite de Portugal provides a unique opportunity to take stock of the sector’s evolution over the past half-century and, at the same time, to reflect on the future, identifying the main challenges and opportunities facing the national olive oil industry. Over the last five decades, the olive oil sector in Portugal has moved from a situation of great structural fragility to a position of growing importance on the international stage. In the 1970s and 1980s, a traditional production model predominated, characterised by low levels of 3https://www.casadoazeite.pt/pt productivity, a high reliance on labour and a marked exodus from rural areas. Production was irregular and insufficient, reflecting the sector’s lack of modernisation and low competitiveness. Portugal’s accession to the European Economic Community in 1986 marked the beginning of a new phase. With the support of the Common Agricultural Policy, incentives began to emerge for the modernisation and restructuring of farms and businesses in the sector, albeit gradually. During the 1990s, significant structural constraints persisted, such as the predominance of small-scale farms and the widespread ageing of olive groves. In terms of consumption, it is worth highlighting the EU consumer aid programme, co-managed by Casa do Azeite and the Portuguese State, which had a significant impact on increasing the consumption of packaged olive oil. By narrowing the price gap with other liquid fats and by helping to organise the sector and control bulk sales, this programme helped to raise per capita consumption from around 4.5 kg to approximately 6.5 kg. The most profound transformation of the sector, however, took place from the start of the 21st century onwards, with the completion of the Alqueva project. The expansion of irrigation in the Alentejo, combined with a large-scale land tenure structure, enabled significant investment in highly mechanised olive groves planted in the vase and hedgerow systems, which achieve very high levels of productivity. Over the last two decades, Portugal has consolidated its position as a major global producer, with significant growth in exports and a clear affirmation of the quality of its olive oil. Today, the sector is characterised by high dynamism, strong competitiveness and the adoption of state-of-the-art technologies, positioning it amongst the most modern globally. Challenges Despite this favourable context, significant challenges remain, both on the production and consumption sides. On the supply side, issues that cut across the agricultural sector stand out, 76 CULTIVAR ANALYSIS AND PROSPECTIVE STUDIES No. 35 Olive groves and olive oil
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