The digital catalogue of companies, products and services supporting the international promotion of the Alentejo Silvestre resources chain is available online at https://alentejonaturalproducts.pt
It is an action of the project “Internationalisation of wild resources 2020” supported by the PROVERE programme. It is translated into 3 languages (Spanish, French and English).
Produced by NERBE/AEBAL – Business Association of Baixo Alentejo e Litoral, in partnership with ACIECALM – Associação Comercial, Industrial e Empresarial do Concelho de Almodôvar, ADCMoura – Associação para o Desenvolvimento do Concelho de Moura, ARPTA-Agência Regional de Promoção Turística do Alentejo, Turismo do Alentejo, ERT, the municipality of Almodôvar and the municipality of Mértola, it is aimed at companies established in the Alentejo region, which produce and/or commercialise products and services from silvester resources, i.e. honey and its derivatives, mushrooms, prickly pear, arbutus, aromatic and medicinal plants, hunting resources and inland water fishing resources, and which wish to internationalise their activity in the German, Spanish, French and Dutch markets
To join the catalogue, interested entrepreneurs simply fill in a short form on the platform.
In addition to the digital catalogue, the project partners are also developing :
– Market guides to support the internationalisation of the natural resources sector for target markets; – International prospecting in target markets to identify market opportunities for the sector; – Prospecting visits to the Alentejo region to discover the regional offer, through a programme of visits and b2b meetings with companies in the sector;
Participation in international trade fairs to promote the Alentejo region’s silvery resources.
The partners hope that this project will contribute to promoting the competitiveness of the silvestre resources sector, as a sustainable territory-based initiative, improving the success of the internationalisation of its SMEs, through the development of innovative mechanisms for prospecting, knowledge and access to international markets and the stimulation of innovative collective initiatives.
“We bring to the table not just tasty dishes, prepared by hands full of stories: we also bring inclusion, solidarity and tolerance.”
Another project made by refugees and for refugees, mainly from Syria. “We asked a Syrian student living in Lisbon what she missed most. She replied: ‘Pita bread!’ ” This was the starting point for an absolutely pioneering integration project in Portugal: an Arab food restaurant, called Mezze, where refugees from the Middle East can receive training and get a job. This project makes the most of the skills that many women and young people bring with them and provides the tools that will ensure their work and their identity are valued. Thus, it creates sustainable employability solutions and contributes to true inclusion.
Mezze means sitting at the table with friends and family, sharing snacks and conversation. It is a lengthy tasting of small, colourful appetizing dishes where bread is always present. And this project by Associação Pão a Pão is all about sharing, providing work and stability to a group of 10 refugees, mainly Syrians. It started with organising group dinners at the Santa Clara market, but quickly evolved into the opening of a restaurant. Not only because there was no Syrian restaurant in Lisbon, but also because starting one would serve multiple purposes: help reintegrate people (“Portugal has many measures to welcome Syrian refugees, but not many when it comes to reintegrating them into society”) and show the Portuguese the Syrian culture. In addition to gastronomy, they also organize workshops and debates, which help to bridge gaps, reduce ignorance and dispel prejudices.
Mezze opened in Lisbon at the Mercado de Arroios, in September 2017. Its success in the integration of refugees is an example, highlighted namely by Prime Minister António Costa, President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa and the European Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos. Associação Pão a Pão won the social entrepreneurship award from the PSA Foundation – Peugeot Citroen (France) and also obtained funding from the Julia Taft Refugee Fund.
Mezze
by Associação Pão a Pão – Integration of refugees from the Middle East
The partnership of the project “AlimentAÇÃO! – Short Agri-Food Circuits for the Human Right to Adequate Food” project, funded by the National Rural Network measure/PDR2020, launched today, March 16th, the campaign AlimentAÇÃO! – Local Public Policies for the Right to Adequate Food campaign.
Short Agri-Food Routes and Local Food Systems have recently become even more relevant in our lives, since they allow us to buy fresh products without leaving home or with less travel, thus contributing to revitalising the local economy and supporting family farming. Food is a human right!
In recent years, in Portugal, regulations have been created in line with international treaties and conventions to guarantee the right to food and consolidate them in public policies, an example of which is the creation of the National Food and Nutritional Security Council, among others. But it is important to move from paper to action.
Only with a strong positive perception of the future can the conditions be created for the emergence of new men and women farmers, with creativity and skills to develop models of agricultural production and marketing able to meet food needs at local level and to assume special relevance in the distribution chain. Public policies should not be governed by quotas and market logic, but by the satisfaction of human needs.
More information about the FOOD! project can be found at: www.animar-dl.pt
Quality and designations of origin are in the spotlight
The different activities carried out had as a common theme the quality processes and appellations of origin of food products and the meaning of the certification seals according to the reality of the countries represented
Moura olive oil, produced by the Moura and Barrancos agricultural cooperative, was chosen in the Portuguese delegation’s presentation as an example of a certified local product, which ended with a tasting session, accompanied by bread and honey from Alentejo, which were much appreciated by the participants.
In this area, study visits were made to two wine production houses to learn about the history, terroir and know-how, but also the problems and challenges, including those related to climate change, as well as to a sturgeon breeding and caviar production unit, which is awaiting PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) certification
This meeting also provided an opportunity to ask: How can we make quality, locally produced and environmentally friendly food accessible? How can we raise awareness about the challenges of food in the future?
In response to these challenges, this meeting provided an opportunity to develop skills through the exchange of good practices and knowledge on sustainable food, local production and heritage enhancement around 4 axes:
1. To discover culinary and gastronomic heritage practices in the fields of sustainable food and the promotion of local products;
2. Quality and origin certification seals; Social issues and sustainable food; Local food heritage; Trends in consumption and distribution of local products;
3. Tools to propose innovative and collaborative ideas to improve and enhance their local food heritage, working in project mode;
4. An enriching discovery of the culinary heritage of southern Europe.
Marktschwärmer opens the first Schwärmerei in Germany in Cologne-Ehrenfeld in June 2014. In this way, the digital direct marketing platform wants to give everyone access to regional food in order to participate in building a fair and sustainable food system. In December 2020, Marktschwärmer reaches an important milestone: the 100th Schwärmerei opens its doors in Rosenheim, Bavaria. Given the circumstances, the social enterprise celebrates this success on a small scale, but not without drawing attention to the growing importance of a regional and sustainable basic supply.
The aim of Marktschwärmer is to promote fair market access for farmers and food artisans and to enable them to have a direct, transparent and trusting exchange with their customers. This is the only way to create a food system that is good for us humans and the planet.
Fresh products, fair prices and direct contact with regional producers Marktschwärmer is the place to go for consumers with a passion for good and fairly produced food. The decentralised network creates a direct link between producers and consumers in a region: customers can conveniently order from the online shop of their local Schwärmerei at www.marktschwaermer.de. One day a week, they pick up their fresh purchases at a central location in their neighbourhood and meet the people who produce the products they bought. The food at Marktschwärmer comes from local farmers, food artisans and small manufacturers. On average, the transport distance between the place of production and the Schwärmerei is no more than 30 km. This creates a very short and robust supply chain for the regional basic supply. And by ordering in advance, food waste can be avoided, because only what is sold is delivered.
Marktschwärmer’s success story is a cause for celebration
With already 114 Schwärmereien open in January 2021 and another 94 Schwärmereien under construction, Marktschwärmer can look back on many successes. In the 6 years of its existence, the organisation brought together more than 1,800 German producers, the Schwärmerei hosts organised more than 11,600 food distributions, and convinced over
140,000 consumers to use the platform. Since the start of the pandemic, consumer interest has increased sharply and orders have almost doubled year-on-year in 2019. Growers have seen a growth in total sales of +120%. Today, more than 6,000 German households purchase a large part of their weekly groceries through the gushers.
Jacques Wecke, Project Manager Germany of Marktschwärmer explains: “The year 2020, like many, has presented us with great challenges. However, this exceptional situation has made our
community of independent producers, inspiring hosts and conscious consumers. We have come noticeably closer to our goal, because despite distance regulations and reduced personal contact, our network has grown strongly. Now we want to build on this success and focus more on the aspect of our community, so that our network continues to be so popular after the pandemic.
In our project, we offer you a job-related German course, the teaching of important basic education topics (maths, computer skills, excursions, sports) and practical training in our restaurants or in hotels.
The NiG project is carried out in cooperation with the Brillat-Savarin School, a vocational training centre for the hospitality industry. Vocational and practical German lessons take place two days a week at the OSZ Gastgewerbe and two days a week you take part in practical training in our restaurants at kiezküchen gmbh. Basic training also takes place at kiezküchen gmbh one day a week.
You can stay in the project for 3-12 months. We prepare you for the apprenticeship and arrange internships and apprenticeships in Berlin hotels and restaurants.
Participation is free of charge for you.
Practical trainer Mohammad – One who really knows what matters! Our new practical trainer in the NIG project – New in the Hospitality Industry.
With an alert gaze and a friendly smile, Mohammad sits at a table in the stadionterrassen in the gloomy Berlin weather. “I am satisfied when I can help other people. If I have helped one person, I have already won.” Big, strong words – if you know Mohammad’s story, you understand that he is more than just a normal practical trainer in the NIG – New in Hospitality project. He is someone who really understands the fears, problems and needs of refugees coming to Germany.
Mohammad’s life story is rocky. Born to Afghan parents in Iran, he felt the harsh regime as a teenager. As a 16-year-old, he worked in security in Iran. The ban on continuing to attend school forced Mohammad, who wanted more for his life, to flee and thus take a hard step: away from Iran. Away from his parents. Friends and acquaintances had already fled to Canada in 2015, and so the faraway country also became his destination. In the same year, he fled to Greece as a boat refugee. Several more countries and detentions, data collection, fingerprinting, blackmail and betrayal followed. Mohammad passed through Macedonia, Serbia, Hungary, Austria and finally Germany on foot – always with his destination in mind: Canada.
“Germany was never my destination. In Greece, everyone tells you that if you’re a Schwarzkopf, you’ll be beaten to death in Germany.”
But it turned out differently: Mohammad knows people everywhere, many of whom he met on his flight in Greece.
An acquaintance advised him to register as a refugee in Berlin. Mohammad followed this advice. Another friend kept stressing that he needed to learn German. German, the language Mohammad describes as “without real letters” and “much too hard”. Nevertheless, he struggles. He learns German in his refugee accommodation in Charlottenburg. Even today, he speaks proudly about his German teacher, who taught him almost perfect German grammar.
In the refugee accommodation, he also comes into contact with the Hospitality project. This project helps refugees gain a foothold in the German labour market and places them in apprenticeships and jobs in Berlin hotels and restaurants. It also offers German courses and internships.
Mohammad also met Alexander Fourestié from kiezküchen during this combination of German course and internship. After several internships and entry-level qualifications in the kitchens of Berlin hotels, Mohammad will complete his training as a chef at the Marriott Hotel in autumn 2019. The idea to work as a practical trainer for the NIG project came from Alexander Fourestié . The project NiG – Neu im Gastgewerbe (New in the Hospitality Industry).
NiG – Neu im Gastgewerbe (New in the Hospitality Industry) supports young refugees with little knowledge of German who would like to complete an apprenticeship in the hospitality industry. This project is more than a job for Mohammad. It is an affair of the heart. Mohammad says that although there are many projects and offers for refugees, they are “nameless” and “not practical enough”. “What is the point of learning grammar in theory and then standing in silence, cutting peppers, in the kitchen?” NIG is different: here the participants get “what they need”. Support, encouragement and a targeted career perspective.
Mohammad is happy as a practical trainer and has also come to terms with Germany. He still feels homeless, but the happiness of having his own little family in Germany is evident in every word he says.
If someone had told him ten years ago that he would one day train to become a chef, he would not have believed it. Actually, he had always dreamed of becoming a pilot.
What is not, can still be, if someone shows so much ambition.
The kiezküchen provide refugees with fresh, tasty food every day.
The number of refugees to be cared for in the capital has risen sharply. The challenges associated with this are manifold. At least in the area of catering, the kiezküchen can help with their core competence and have taken over the provision of three meals a day for refugees in three initial accommodation centres.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner should not only provide food for the refugees, but also…
but also be associated with anticipation of tasty food three times a day. In November 2015, the feeding of 160 people began in an initial shelter in Gürtelstrasse. In March 2016, two more shelters were added in Woelckpromenade with 150 and in Wichertstrasse with 100 refugees.
The Rathenow kitchen, which is otherwise mainly used for feeding the homeless, and the orania restaurant process food specially adapted for Muslims in their kitchens.
…the homeless care of the kiezküchen and what it means for hundreds of people:
200 healthy snacks for schools in Berlin Mitte, 120 meals for the homeless, 500 soups to warming rooms in field offices and that every day for children and the homeless, for whom our gastronomy is not simply catering.
In the Rathenow kitchen, people in qualification and employment measures, refugees and people with learning disabilities provide homeless people with hot food from food donations from Berliner Tafel e.V., Gezer Fleischmanufaktur and Fresco GmbH.
The Rathenower Straße 16 –
which (re)opens up professional opportunities for some and means support, advice and a constant place of encounter for others, beyond a catering service. Every day.
The participants from qualification projects of the kiezküchen produce under the guidance of
by and in collaboration with highly qualified and experienced trainers and chefs.
Social and special needs educators at the location are contact persons for the needs of the participants and guests of the Rathenower küche.
The feedback from the first accommodations encourages us to spread a little joy among the people through delicious, fresh food.
Training and employmentfor young refugees in the Berlin hospitality industry.
Since August 1st 2015, the model project of kiezküchen gmbh together with DEHOGA Berlin has been supporting refugees to gain a foothold in the Berlin training and labour market. Many refugees have work experience and encounter an industry in which employees from all over the world are part of everyday life.
How does the project work? After detailed counselling on the requirements, activities and career prospects in the hospitality industry, a competence profile is drawn up for the participants. The subsequent German lessons and the internship in the kiezküchen training restaurants are the first test for their entry into the hospitality industry. If the level of German is good (usually B1), the matching process between the applicant and the company begins via a work placement.
As of January 2017: 27 training contracts, 8 participants in an ongoing introductory training, 13 participants in employment.
Mohammad Alam (pictured above) came to Berlin in 2013 as an unaccompanied minor refugee from Bangladesh. In addition to German lessons and after an internship at the kiezküchen, he completed an internship from October 2015 to January 2016 (Novotel Berlin Am Tiergarten), which was to lead to an apprenticeship as a hotel manager. However, the residence situation proved to be complex and required many visits to the authorities. After all problems were solved, Mohammad started his training on 1 February 2016.
Immediately after fleeing from Western Sahara, Abdalah Elguiar Amar (pictured below) applied to Hospitality in September 2015. Together with 20 other project participants, he learned German intensively from scratch in the coming months and got an insight into working as a cook at the kiezküchen. At the beginning of November, he took advantage of the Mercure Hotel Berlin City’s open day, which was organised especially for our project participants. In conversation with hotel director Philip Ibrahim, he applied for an internship, which began a few days later and seamlessly transitioned into an entry-level qualification. On 1 September 2016, he began his training as a chef.
The Leitrim Food Strategy directly responds to Food Harvest 2020’s recommendation to invest in ideas, knowledge and skills, encourage innovation and creativity, and recognise new opportunities for collaboration across the food supply chain and with other competitors.
Food is something that connects us all. It is a driver of employment and health and a significant part of Leitrim’s economic, social, environmental and cultural identity. This Food Strategy, funded by Leitrim County Council, has been careful to play to our strengths. The focus is on being locally relevant, pragmatic, scalable and implementable. We start the Strategy by counting blessings – what makes us special. And there is a lot.
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