Cantinho das Aromáticas

Cantinho das Aromáticas began in January 2002 as an organic farm and botanical collection in Vila Nova de Gaia. Over more than two decades it welcomed thousands of visitors, worked with small local and national producers, and became known as one of the few urban farms in Western Europe practising certified organic agriculture. Financial difficulties forced it to close its doors in March 2023, a closure covered by national press and followed by the Câmara Municipal de Gaia searching for solutions for the site. Founder Luís Alves has now relaunched the project's mission through a new organisation, the Associação Cantinho Sustentável, founded on 1 February 2024. The association describes itself as a non-profit entity dedicated to environmental sustainability, regenerative agriculture and environmental education. Its stated goals include preserving natural and cultural heritage, encouraging sustainable and regenerative farming practices, promoting environmental education and community involvement, and producing certified organic goods, starting with a herbal tisane called First Edition, made from Saint John's wort, lemon thyme, cinnamon and clove. Rather than reopening the original site, the association is looking to establish new locations around the country, describing this as an attempt to reproduce a social model refined over 20 years of practice. It held a public presentation of its plans on 5 March 2026 at the Fundação Manuel António da Mota in Porto, where it also received a gesture of support from Seringador, an agricultural almanac published since 1865. The association is currently seeking spaces, institutional partners and funding to carry the project into its next chapter.