Gorreana
Located on the island of São Miguel, in the Azores, the Gorreana Tea Factory is the oldest tea factory in Europe still in operation. Founded in 1883 by Ermelinda Pacheco Gago da Câmara, this company remains a family business. The humid and rainy climate, the mild temperature, as well as the acidic and volcanic soil, allowed the production of a quality green and black tea.
Increasingly, Gorreana tea has been internationally recognized for its legacy and for the cultivation and marketing of premium quality teas. Planted hundreds of kilometres from industrial pollution, in the vast mountains of the lush estate, Gorreana tea is not subject to any use of herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, dyes or preservatives. Harvested between April and October, Gorreana tea is a 100% organic product, not being subjected to any use of herbicides, fungicides, or pesticides, since the normal pests of Camellia sinensis do not survive in the island's climate.
Currently, Gorreana's plantations cover an area of 32 hectares, from which about 40 tons are produced per year. A small part of the production is destined for the Azorean market and the rest is exported to many countries such as mainland Portugal, Germany, USA, Canada, Austria, France, Italy, Brazil, Angola, Japan, among many other countries that value above all the quality and uniqueness of Gorreana teas.
Visited annually by thousands of people, Gorreana is recognized as a mandatory stop on the visit to the island of São Miguel. Visitors will be able to freely visit the plantations, as well as watch the entire tea process, from picking to packaging. The main machines where all Gorreana tea is produced are of British origin, dating from the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, a factor that has attracted many visitors to the factory.