Social Media Expands our Footprint: Working in Portugal
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Portugal Incubator Group
14 June 2018

by Karen Karp

 

When a colleague noticed on Instagram that I had taken a lot of pictures of Portugal over the last year, he referred KK&P to a Spanish-Portuguese company that develops regional branding strategies all over the world. They are working with the Mayor (or “President”) of the county of Idanha-a-Nova, in Portugal’s Castelo Branco district, located in the North Region and Beira Interior Sul, on a comprehensive strategy to bring new residents (or bring previous residents back) to the area. In the 1970s, the region boasted nearly 37,000 people, and by 2011 less than 10,000 remained.

The strategy is being built on the rich agriculture history and conditions from which a range of delicious specialty items are produced: wine and olive oil, of course, as well as soft ripe cheese, organic beef, watermelons, and blueberries. I will be mentoring the sustainable beef company as part of my introduction to the broader work of the region, hoping to soon become part of the Mayor’s team. The social and environmental conditions are perfectly aligned to revive Idanha-a-Nova as a vibrant region and economy for agriculture and food, and I am honored and excited to be a part of this work.

Below are some photos I took during my visit to the area.