Bishop Rui Sousa studied at the Catholic University with the most famous of Madeiran clerics, the current Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça. But when he returned to the island, he had such progressive ideas that he was exiled to a small parish, Prazeres, close to Calheta and far from the main urban centres — and decision-making — of the island.
Rua da Igreja, nº3
Prazeres, Calheta, Madeira
How to get there
+351 291 822 204
+351 962 714 737 (Padre Rui Sousa)
www.prazeresdaquinta.pt
Introduced by
Teresa Vivas, Mesa Cultura Gastronómica
Texto de Tiago Pais
Fotografias de Tiago Pais
Bishop Rui Sousa studied at the Catholic University with the most famous of Madeiran clerics, the current Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça. But when he returned to the island, he had such progressive ideas that he was exiled to a small parish, Prazeres, close to Calheta and far from the main urban centres — and decision-making — of the island.
He didn't let himself down. “Imagine what it was like thirty years ago for someone coming from Lisbon. I had to find ways to entertain myself”, he says. He then began a long work to revitalize that small parish: he established relationships with local producers, focused on indigenous apple varieties, which had no commercial value, and began experimenting with producing ciders, an ancient tradition on the island. British influence but not only. "We have always had good apples in Madeira", explains the priest.
Rui Sousa did not stop there. He added the cider vinegar, in addition to a series of jams and infusions. In the 2000s, he founded a Pedagogical Farm that began to attract visitors from other places. In addition to a small zoo, the space includes a botanical garden, fruit trees and a museum. And it is at the entrance of the farm that we find the small coffee shop and the shop where all the prizes that the products created there have already won are now on display. A wall painted with diplomas, where there is not much room left for new distinctions. "Even in England we've won awards", points out the parish bishop. Great sign.
It is not, however, the prizes that move him. “My joy is saving trees that almost no longer exist”, he confesses. To do this, he pays local producers more for native apples than for other, more common species. The intention is to encourage the production of these varieties to create even more special ciders. Conditions are not lacking: this year's production has already been made at the new cider factory, an important investment by the Regional Government to stimulate local production of this fruit in the West Zone of the island.
