Gaia Oliva Memecik

Acushla was born from the passion of a man, the strength of an emotion that would allow several generations from the same family to bond around the olive oil business. The olive tree, by its beauty, spirituality, resistance and longevity, has always fascinated Joaquim Moreira, a fashion and textile entrepreneur, who, having spent most of his professional life in big metropolis, decided to cherish an alternative project strictly connected with nature. The initiative to take this path came from the need to “temper” the everyday life with a business connected to the land and the slower rhythm that it determines. Acushla is a word of Celtic origin that means “beat of my heart”. The name choice arose from the search for a single expression able to translate the whole concept and emotion associated with this project which has materialized in 2006. It was in Quinta do Prado, Vila Flor, located in Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro region, that Joaquim Moreira, after much effort in the study on areas with high potential for olive oil production in Portugal, found the ideal site for producing an outstanding olive oil. This estate, with 14 hectares of centenarian olive trees and 200 hectares of new olive trees, has in total approximately 70.000 olive trees. When maturity is reached the expected production of olive oil will be around 350.000 litres, making it one of the largest organic production areas in the region of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro. Being the environmental concern and sustainability one of the cornerstones of Acushla, we have elected organic farming, where the growth of the olive trees is conducted with the utmost respect for the established procedures of organic production, foreseen by the European and American legislation. This production includes the use of farming techniques that respect the natural life cycles and reduce environmental impact. It also leads to several slow and expensive procedures, mainly the maintenance of the fertilization of the soils and the respect for phytosanitary and fertilization principles; it is prohibited the use of chemical synthesis products.