North American tour operators surrender to Caminhos Cruzados’ commitment to sustainability
Producer of Dão, which adopts the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and bears the Biosphere Certified seal, welcomed a delegation from the United States Tour Operators Association.
Caminhos Cruzados, a wine producer from Dão, based in Nelas, recently opened its doors to a delegation of 45 North American tour operators, belonging to the United States Tour Operators Association (USTOA), a renowned association in the sector, based in New York.
Centro de Portugal hosted the USTOA Out of Country Meeting 2024, between April 13th and 21st, in partnership with Turismo de Portugal. Among the spaces designated to host the event, Caminhos Cruzados convinced those responsible for its firm commitment to sustainability, certified by the renewal of the Biosphere Certified seal.
“The commitment to sustainability at Caminhos Cruzados was fundamental to our decision. These are values we share”, explains Terry Dale, CEO of the United States Tour Operators Association and responsible for the technical visit to the site, months before the meeting.
The group made up of 45 North American tour operators, with considerable influence in the United States and Canadian markets, travelled to the Beira producer, located in Nelas, in the heart of Dão, on April 18th.
Upon arrival, visitors were challenged to a Peddy Paper in the Vine, one of the experiences that the producer offers to its customers, between a welcome drink and visits to the production area and the ageing room.
Lunch was divided between the exterior, where the fire kitchen and food prepared in iron pots shined, and the interior, where various regional products were presented and various culinary proposals were prepared, including vegetarian options. “The visit to Caminhos Cruzados was spectacular, we loved every moment. We hope to return in the future with North American tourists”, concludes Terry Dale, the CEO of USTOA.
For the producer, who is part of the Terras & Terroir Group, the development of links with the North American market is particularly exciting. “The North American public is very important for this region, it is a market that does not yet exist on a scale in the Dão region. We enthusiastically embrace this possibility and are pleased to have been one of the spaces chosen by those responsible for the United States Tour Operators Association for the Out of Country Meeting”, highlights Luís Filipe, wine tourism coordinator at Caminhos Cruzados.
The firm commitment to sustainability, assumed since the producer’s birth in 2012, continues to be valued and gained dimension with the construction of an energy-sustainable wine cellar in 2017.
Among several projects developed over the last few years, we highlight the planting of 105 trees on the property, forming an Iberian forest with 10 different species from the region, the use of certified sheep to control weeds and promote regenerative coverage of the vineyard’s soil or the using bats for pest control.
“Quinta da Teixuga has 31 hectares and only 14 are vineyards, at the company’s option, while the rest are trees. This is the balance we defend. Recently, when the USTOA delegation visited, the remaining food was distributed to the surrounding community. Nothing goes to waste, we try our best to avoid food waste, this is the concept of sustainability”, concludes Luís Filipe.
The efforts made by Caminhos Cruzados through the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, included in the 2030 Agenda, were recognized with the recent renewal of the Biosphere Certified seal, guaranteed for the first time in 2023.
About Caminhos Cruzados
Caminhos Cruzados was created by the initiative of the Santos family, born in Nelas, determined to return to their origins to invest in an old passion, Dão wine. The company’s philosophy is based on the production of quality wines, with an aspect of tradition combined with modernism and constant differentiation that the market demands. It is in this context that Caminhos Cruzados wines emerge as “O Novo Dão”. At the end of 2020, Caminhos Cruzados became part of the Terras e Terroir Group, owned by businessmen Paulo Pereira, Maria do Céu Gonçalves and Álvaro Lopes.
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