- Hilário José Barreiros Motta - 1841~1908
Founder in honor
Motta's family patron, Hilário José Barreiros Motta was an important and charismatic figure in the village where he lived, Pombalinho. An employee and great friend of the baron of Almeirim, Mr. Manuel Nunes Freire da Rocha, this when Portuguese ambassador to the United States, donated land called "Quinta do Outeiro" to Mr. Hilário in order to "start life with an advantage" and because "you deserve to establish on your own and not having to serve another master ". After this episode, he settled on his own in the lands donated by the baron of Almeirim.
Recognized as a person ahead of his time, he participated in the 1900 Paris fair where he exhibited olive oil, horses and cereals, and was awarded a bronze medal at the event.
His conduct in society was also exemplary. There are records of letters of thanks for helping owners of other farms, giving work to those in need and organizing picnics for more than 100 people on Easter Mondays.
For years the farm was dedicated to producing olive oil from the region's olives, a virtue that has become a mission for Mottagro now-a-days.
- Miguel Motta Rebelo -
Co-Founder - Agricultural Management
The difference between a single origin olive oil and blended olive oil, such as that found in the supermarket is very large and is due to some reasons:
- Variety of olives
- Methods of obtaining olive oil
- Harvest
- Hygiene
- Soil
- Climate
We are proud to offer a variety of olives from our region, harvested near the mill to ensure that the olives are fresh and come from a single region. This intensifies the flavors and aromas of the olive oil obtained.
Also Mottagro use the latest technologies for the cold extraction of olive oil, thus complying with strict rules of hygiene and food safety, in addition to being able to extract the best in a single stage.
- Pedro Motta da Fonseca -
Co-Founder - Entrepreneur
As a businessman, I have the opportunity to live and get to know different countries and cultures. I have always been fascinated to discover what a certain country knows about Portugal and our traditions. Everytime I find several products that do not live up to the flavor found here, especially with olive oil.
Based on these experiences and the legacy of our family ancestors, we idealized how we should reproduce this today and a product of great quality was born, which positively impacts the local community and which should be appreciated by the global community.
My great-grandfather had the vision of taking his olive oil to the international fair in Paris in 1900, something far beyond his time. With all the technology we have today, it is much easier to have a high quality olive oil, locally sourced in the most distant point of the globe and within a few clicks of the final consumer
Mottagro can be proud to say that we are on the right path to reproduce the qualities of our family's olive oil in the 19th century, a local olive oil, a company that adds value to the community and an example to perpetuate itself for generations.