Half of the 20,000-Square-Meter Fazenda Sá Begins Producing Coffee
In São Martinho, the Sá family’s long-term plan is becoming real on the 20,000-square-meter Fazenda Sá, where young coffee plants already cover half the land. The area had once been abandoned, with only a few fruit trees. Over time, the family repaired the soil and prepared the property for cultivation. Jorge Cipriano Sá said the idea developed over years of shared interest. He explained:
This idea came from the enthusiasm that grew between my father and me.
He said the project takes advantage of local conditions that support the crop and the location. All production is sold on Madeira, including in the family’s shops and at the Michelin-starred restaurant Il Gallo d’Oro, which serves the exclusive “Café Madeira.”
Location of Fazenda Sá
Family’s 1956 Coffee Heritage and Worries About Meeting Market Demand
Mr. Sá said that the family already controlled every part of the coffee process except the plantation itself. Their business began in March 1956, when his father opened Pérola dos Cafés in Funchal. He recalled:
Coffee was my father’s passion.
He believes Madeira has excellent conditions for growing coffee but regrets that there are not more local producers. Demand is now difficult to meet. He invited landowners to consider planting coffee, saying:
Why not plant it and have a partner here to sell it, because the market is looking for it?
Visitor Program Limits Groups to 25 People With €15 Adult Entry
The Fazenda Sá will soon open to the public through controlled visits to avoid large crowds. Small group tours are already taking place with some operators. The farm plans to allow visits only at fixed times, guided either by staff or licensed tour guides, and limited to 25 people.
Entry will cost €15 for adults, while children aged six and above will pay half. Located near the Nazaré neighborhood, the site will also function as a small educational farm showing traditional cultivation methods.
Regional President Highlights Rising Coffee Prices and Calls It a Quality Path
Miguel Albuquerque, the president of Madeira’s Regional Government, visited the farm and praised the family’s commitment to this alternative crop. He pointed to the rise in coffee prices as an opportunity for Madeira growers.
During his visit, he said:
Like other products, we can produce not at large scale, but a Madeira coffee that is a mark of difference. And people want to try that difference.
He compared coffee to rum, arguing that both can support parts of agriculture that focus on high quality rather than high volume.
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