General news header Mobile general news header
05 June 2024

SOCIEDADE AGRÍCOLA QUINTA DE VILAR, a company dedicated to Beira Alta apples.

Reading time
3 min.
News sections

Sociedade Agrícola Quinta de Vilar is a company dedicated to the production, preservation and marketing of apples from Beira Alta, and has established itself as the region's leading entity in terms of storage capacity and distribution of this characteristic Portuguese product. Quinta de Vilar is known for its Fuji, Gala and Granny varieties, predominantly grown in its 40 hectares of orchards.

40 hectares of orchards

Sociedade Agrícola Quinta de Vilar, Lda (www.quintavilar.pt) is a company dedicated to the production, preservation and marketing of apples from Beira Alta, and has established itself as the region's leading entity in terms of storage and distribution capacity for this characteristic Portuguese product. Located in the Beira Alta region, Quinta de Vilar is known for its Fuji, Gala and Granny varieties, predominantly grown in its 40 hectares of orchards.

With its own production of 1,800 tonnes of apples, SAQV has a storage capacity of approximately 13,000 tonnes and a packing capacity of 30,000 tonnes per season, spread over three packing lines.

Since 2014, in response to growing demand, it has established strategic partnerships with regional producers, guaranteeing the quality of the products purchased.

Quinta de Vilar's commitment to supplying excellent apples to the main Portuguese distribution chains has been demonstrated through investment in its own quality production and that of its partners. The marketing of the Golden and Gala varieties, which represent more than 75% of its supply, has allowed the company to expand its presence in the market, benefiting from continuous investment. Despite the potential of Beira Alta's conditions to produce high quality apples, the sector faces challenges related to organisation, management and storage and distribution capacity. Over the last five years, SAQV has led the restructuring of the sector, adopting a business model focused on proximity to producers, professional management and investments in preservation and packaging operations.

This model has proved to be a virtuous circle, boosting demand from demanding customers and improving the company's profitability, which has allowed it to maintain attractive remuneration policies for its producer partners.

Furthermore, it was at Quinta de Vilar that the production of dehydrated apples under the ‘FRUUT’ brand was started, a pioneering project that has become a reference in healthy snacks in Portugal and Europe, being managed autonomously by the company Frueat, wholly owned by SAQV.

In the near future, Quinta de Vilar intends to consolidate its leading position in the apple sector in Beira Alta, increasing its storage capacity and developing its current logistics technology park.

It will be exhibiting at Fruit Attraction at stand 8B14.