Vidigueira, Beja, Portugal, Jan. 21, 2026 (Lusa) - With 543 hectares of olive groves in Portugal's interior Alentejo region, Casa Relvas is the first producer to bear the “seal” of the Olive Oil Sustainability Programme, which recognises its good social, environmental and economic practices.
"Sustainability is very important to us," António Relvas, who is the chief executive officer (CEO) of Casa Relvas, together with his brother, Alexandre Relvas, told the Lusa news agency on Wednesday.
In wine, he recalled, Casa Relvas was one of the first producers to be certified by the Alentejo Wine Sustainability Programme (PSVA), an innovative initiative promoted by the Alentejo Regional Wine Commission (CVRA).
And now, "we were the first" to be certified under the Olive Oil Sustainability Programme, he said.
The Sustainability Programme, an equally pioneering initiative, was launched in 2022, in a partnership between OLIVUM - Associação de Olivicultores e Lagares de Portugal (Association of Olive Growers and Oil Mills of Portugal), based in Beja, and the University of Évora, and was then only aimed at the Alentejo region.
The project eventually took on a national scope in 2024, and the auditing processes to award certifications began in 2025, based on a benchmark comprising 98 criteria, organised into 26 chapters, which assesses the "environmental, social and economic dimensions of olive oil production".
Casa Relvas ended up being the first certified producer, giving "continuity" to the work that the company has been doing over the years in the areas of social, economic and environmental sustainability, explained António Relvas.
According to the manager, in order to guarantee the Olive Oil Sustainability Programm certification, the company did not have to "change anything structurally", but the process ended up creating "new challenges for improvement, both in environmental metrics and management metrics".
The commitment to sustainability has led the company to create a composting plant over the years and use olive stones as a source of energy to power the boilers at its mill, located in the municipality of Vidigueira, in the region of Beja.
Other measures adopted by the company include grassing the soil between trees in its olive groves, located in Vidigueira and in the municipality of Redondo, in the district of Évora, installing photovoltaic panels for energy production, and using boxes certified by FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) standards.
In addition, the manager explained, Casa Relvas went ahead in 2025 with a "survey of all the biodiversity of the fauna and flora of the 2,500 hectares" of olive groves, vineyards, almond groves and forests it manages.
In the social area, "around 15% of our profits go to social support, for our workers and the communities where we operate," explained António Relvas.
And in terms of economic sustainability, the company is committed to "the efficient use of water, to produce more with less".
In António Relvas' opinion, the added value of the Olive Oil Sustainability Programme certification is that it proves "that Portuguese agriculture is sustainable and among the best in the world".
In addition, he concluded, the programme allows "Portuguese olive oil to be showcased" on the international market, which "is great for Portugal and for local communities".
The first certificate for Casa Relvas was issued in December 2025 and, according to António Relvas, "very soon it will be possible to find the first olive oils with the sustainability seal available on the market".
CYMP/AYLS // AYLS
Lusa
