Salmarim

He traded Art History for the art of harvesting, through the traditional process, the finest Fleur de Sel from his seven hectares of salt flats, in Castro Marim. Added to this name the name of its salt. The result? Salmarim, born from deep research work and constant evolution focused on quality.
2007 was the year of Jorge Raiado's turnaround, with his debut in the role of father and salt man. The work focused on the one-hectare saline that Sandra Madeira's father, the wife, had bought. Since then, salt - the "currency" of payment for the soldiers of Ancient Rome, which, due to its benefits, was considered a divine gift - has gone into business. But Jorge Raiado wanted to go further: “We were always looking for what wasn’t on the market, we wanted what wasn’t.”
Betting on this predicate, he turned to the University of Algarve and wanted to see improvements in the production process, to develop the quality of his product. From a common salt worker, our interviewee became more selective, giving preference to the finest fleur de sel, at Moinho das Meias, in the marsh of Castro Marim and Vila Real de Santo António Nature Reserve, located in the eastern Algarve, where the inhospitable landscape covers the horizon.
Sun, wind, and tides are the defining factors in the harvesting of the fleur de sel, “a product that is not traditional, but the technique is handmade”, reinforces Jorge Raiado, and “we choose what we want to catch, with different textures, with more potassium and different colors” and “choosing what we are going to put on the packaging is my concern”, he continues.
Better yet: the original packaging is also Salmarim's brand image. The beginning of this trip was marked by the Portable Sea collection, composed of kits of three tubes - similar to the test tubes and cork lid - filled with fleur de sel so that your Salmarim would go around the world.
This was followed by the cork saltshaker and the five cardboard boxes, four of which were flavored with fleur de sel. The bar rose with the porcelain saltshaker in the shape of a fish head, by the artist Fernanda Rios. The design was always present in all the pieces. Jorge Raiado continues to challenge designers, illustrators, among other creatives, to draw on the imagination and produce new images for their packaging, as the arts are one of his great passions. At the same time, sustainability is another of the basic factors in Salmarim's requirements, hence the zeal for choosing packaging materials and the permanent focus on reusable containers, for the sake of the environment.
“At this moment, biodegradable packaging for hotels is being tested”, he adds, not least because, in addition to the fleur de sel - available in three sizes (the regular, the one with larger crystals and the one similar to a pyramid), Salmarim has traditional sea salt. As for news, “we are developing new packaging and making a new collection” and bolder flavors.