We live in a time where we establish a relationship of absolute trust with food, where we accept everything we eat, without questioning anything.

How often do we think about the origin of the food we eat?
Do we know where it comes from?
How is it produced?
How does it reach us?
What are the landscapes surrounding it?

Do we know the producers? What difficulties do they pass? Under what conditions do they do it? What work is implied?

Producers are the guardians of the territory, know-how, traditions, customs and, ultimately, our identity.

We want them to be part of the daily process of our cuisine, our learning, our philosophy and the message we want to convey.

For this to happen, we have to go and meet them, travel the country from north to south, be willing to spend time and understand what they are doing and how they are doing it.

Matéria is a non-profit project, developed by chef João Rodrigues, that aims to promote national producers with good agricultural practices and animal production concerning nature and the environment, as fundamental elements of Portuguese culture.

How are we going to do it?

• Mapping of national producers - what they produce and where they are;
• Telling the story of these people;
• Streamlining and participating in initiatives that help to strengthen this network of contacts between producers, chefs and the community.
• Streamlining and participating in educational initiatives for children that increase knowledge about food and its origins;
• Promoting producers in connection with gastronomy and as fundamental elements of Portuguese culture.
• Making Portuguese producers and our territory internationally recognized.

Matéria Project is being developed through the sharing of information and knowledge between chefs and producers from all over Portugal. It is open to all who want to participate in it and help to build this mapping, thus contributing to the sustainability of the producers' work and for an increase in national product consumption.

Matéria Project is financed by Turismo de Portugal, it counts from the beginning with ICEL as a development partner, and with the institutional support of the National Unesco Commission.