Between the Barrocal and the Algarve Mountains, there is a village where, soon, five micro-enterprises may be born. Querença has, over the past nine months, welcomed a group of as many young graduates, who managed to put together proposals to create businesses, enthuse the local population and renew existing traditions and businesses.
These are just some of the results of Projeto Querença, an innovative initiative that is generating great enthusiasm across the country and has now completed its first phase.
The nine young people involved in the Manuel Viegas Guerreiro Foundation project brought new life to the parish of the municipality of Loulé. A force that used to mobilize those who were already there, since there were many who took advantage of the wave to resume activities that had already been put aside, in sectors such as agriculture and production and handicrafts. For a so-called depressed area, Querença has, these days, a lot of joy and life.
The results of the Querença Project were presented this Wednesday, at an official session that took place at the Manuel Viegas Guerreiro Foundation, in Querença. An initiative that was attended by partners, sponsors, journalists and locals, where not only what has been achieved in the last nine months was made known, but also what those responsible for the project want to do in the next two years, in the Querença 2 Project.
In this first phase, a stock exchange of agricultural land with more than 30 hectares was created, provided by local owners. Currently, only a small part is being used, but the idea is that in the next two years, the time that the Querença 2 Project should last, they will be given a lot of use.
Also because there is no lack of requests for products produced in Querença. «We have already supplied the Tivoli Hotel in Vilamoura and four restaurants», revealed project coordinator João Ministro. There are more requests, but at the moment there is not enough production, he added.
The new phase of this initiative has already been applied for to PO Algarve 21 and intends to «support and continue the work that has already been done here, in the last nine months». "There is room for more entrepreneurs", assured João Ministro.
Querença Project has very well placed friends
Yesterday's session was attended by the Assistant Secretary of State for Economy and Regional Development, high sponsor of the Querença Project.
Almeida Henriques showed that he was well aware of the initiative being developed in that village and did not hide that he has been working to make it a success and to gain more and more support from the private sector.
In his speech, he confessed that he sees in this type of initiatives, which are based on a logic of networking and on the promotion and use of local resources, a solution for the development of communities located in low-density areas.
Almeida Henriques did not stop at the words and went into the field, looking for potential partners. It was in this way that PT recently joined the Querença Project and that support may arise from other companies, such as EDP.
The work of the member of Government, despite benefiting the initiative that began to be implemented nine months ago in the municipality of Loulé, is much broader. The idea is to create a network of Querença projects, a little across the country, where the methodology used in the Algarve is replicated, applied to the local reality, which is never the same in two different places.
The Querença Project is causing great enthusiasm throughout the country and there are already many who want to create similar projects, revealed the professor at the University of Algarve António Covas, one of the project's mentors, who has traveled the country to publicize it.
And it can become even more interesting now that you have results to show. During the session, several projects were presented, which are the formalization of a small part of the ideas that emerged. But, in this case, there are already business plans created and a defined strategy for launching micro-enterprises.
In all, five companies are ready to move forward (see at the end) and a product with great marketing potential has been developed. The Querença Project energy bar, developed by biologist Dulce Almeida from an idea already tested at the University of Algarve, ended up becoming a symbol of what has been achieved in this first phase of the project, as it is a finished product.
The member of government tasted the sports food supplement and approved. «I will be able to talk to some companies in the area and show them this product, to find out if they are interested in producing it on an industrial scale», said Almeida Henriques, on the sidelines of the session.
Business in sight, signed by the young people of the Querença Project
Querença Landscape: Proposal for the creation of a company developed by landscape architect João Marum, which aims to specialize in sustainable green spaces. In addition to the construction of these gardens, the company will have a nursery for endemic plants, among other things.
9 arrobas: Agronomist Tiago Aleixo's proposal for the creation of a fruit nursery with typical Algarve species. Special focus will be given to regional varieties, which are better adapted to the region. In addition, the company will be certified in Organic Agriculture. The company will also install farms and provide technical advice.
herbal: Proposal by agronomist Francisco Ferro to create a business based on plants that occur naturally in the Barrocal and Algarve Mountains, which proposes to produce and market them for culinary use. An idea that arises from the growing demand, by chefs, for alternative products, used for a long time by certain populations to make dishes. A nursery will be created to produce different species of wild plants.
GMD – Management+Marketing+Design: Joint proposal by Marlene Martins (Management), Sara Fernandes (marketing) and Luís Caracinha (Design). The future company proposes to create solutions for renovation and image and development of new products for companies in the region. The model has already been tested during the project and developed the new communication image of the Querença restaurant and is working with the Amendoal de Loulé pastry shop.
Benémola Heritage and Environment: Company that brings together Joana Alho and Cátia Guerreiro, from the areas of environmental and food engineering. It is based on the creation of routes that show some of the local natural wealth. The creation of the first Iberian route of dragonflies and damselflies and the Levadas Route, dedicated to the Hydraulic Heritage of Benémola are some of the proposals. An idea that intends to boost, equally, ecotourism, scientific and educational tourism.
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