Poial Farm

During her childhood, Joana Macedo felt that Quinta do Poial was a kind of "favorite brother" of her mother, Maria José Macedo. She had, therefore, "a somewhat conflicted relationship" with the farm. Maria José had left a business career in Paris in the 80's to become a farmer in Azeitão, at a time when biological was just an expression of Nature Science books. Bought a hectare and a half of land and created everything from scratch, planting things that most of the Portuguese had never heard of. The chefs discovered it, the clients of the Príncipe Real Biological Market adopted it. When she died in 2016, Joana got into the business. She didn’t think twice, it was by impulse: "It had to be done," she justifies. Whoever sees it today among tomato varieties - there are more than 50 - to treat the ginger-mango that brought from the Island of Réunion or to take care of the coriander flowers will not suspect that until half a dozen years ago "had only made some deliveries, nothing more”. Joana is divided between Azeitão, the lands in Castelo Branco, a hostel in Braga and the career of actress, where she is known by the French nickname, Sarrazy. And it is to continue like this. "I do not want to leave my life on this farm," she says.