Culinary innovations increase the environmental and economic value of acorns

Bolota viva is an inspiring example of an agri-food business that combines culinary innovations through acorn processing with the preservation of oak trees in the declining Montado silvopastoral landscape of Alentejo. Although traditionally used as animal feed, Sonia and Marco saw the opportunity to enhance the gastronomic value of acorns while fostering the conservation of its threatened resource base. Their entry model is based on the creation of a network of Montado landowners and conservation associations to create a sustainable value chain that promote the restoration of a culturally important landscape. The range of acorn-based products they market falls under multiple specialised niches such as organic, vegan and gluten free products. Some of their key success factors have been their high level education in food engineering and experience in catering, their capacity to create and innovate and their dedication to environmental awareness and communication.

Acorn is now the topic of a new professional society “Confraria Ibérica da Bolota” launched in July 2020 as the promoting its resources and economic value has been identified as a critical pathway for confering resilience in iberian landscapes.