ABOUT US
When we met in 2009 we both had the dream of living in Nature one day. By the time we were starting our PhD degrees on the controlled cultivation of photosynthetic organisms, which afterwards was extended to scientific research and development in the same field. Ten years later we felt the time was right to put down new roots and that's when we chose to protect a small land in the portuguese region of Beira Baixa. Since then we dedicate ourselves to regenerating its soil, to create abundance, fertility and above all biodiversity, using strategies that contribute to a healthier, more balanced and sustainable ecosystem.
This was an opportunity not only to grow our own food and live more connected to our ancestral roots, but also to start looking after our wellbeing with our own natural medicine, knowing exactly what we are feeding our body with. We have long been concerned with the impact that many products have on the environment and believe that you don't need a whole bunch of ingredients that come from different corners of the world with a huge carbon footprint, from intensive farming or from a chemistry lab, to create an effective product that is truly good for you.
It can be simple, just as Nature is in all its complexity.
And that's how our adventure towards self-sufficiency began in 2019. We started by getting lots of books about medicinal plants and spent many hours reading and making plans for the first plants we would cultivate. We were lucky enough to already have some healing ones growing here, like St. John's wort, french lavender, wild calendula, lemon balm and oregano. What a great joy it was when we've got our very own olive oil for the first time and made the first macerate using the St. John's wort that was a bit everywhere on the land, with its pretty flowers that ended up being the inspiration for Campocura's logo (can you see it?).
From that moment on we have been experimenting more and more, depending on our own needs and ailments. Our garden has grown and the passion for what we do has grown with it. Today we are proud to have nearly 40 different species of aromatic and medicinal plants on our little paradise and a good range of helpers we use in our daily life, from anti-inflammatories to skin nourishers.
After these five years of constant growth and learning we feel confident enough to share our natural products with people other than our family and friends. We develop our own recipes based on scientific studies that prove the properties and benefits of all the plants we use, the wisdom shared by experienced herbalists and the experience we gather along the way. With us in mind, the planet and those who trust our work. We prepare everything by hand in small batches with only pure and organic ingredients, carefully choosing the ones we can't yet produce ourselves, such as beeswax and essential oils, to guarantee they are made in Portugal with the same principles that we stand for.
We value the principles of Health, Ecology, Fairness and Caution in the management of our resources, ensuring a cultivation and processing with virtually no negative impact on the environment. We only harvest a conscious amount of the plants we have available on each season not to ever break their natural life cycle, so the availability of what we produce is limited. We minimize the use of agricultural machinery, we don't use any chemicals or synthetic fertilizers and we compost or recycle all of our post-production waste, which is very little. The containers we use for our products are made of glass, aluminium, stainless steel and food-grade paper, with minimal or no plastic components.
Our prices are fair and reflect the small scale, the high level of manual labour and the almost non-existent environmental pollution. We try to reuse materials as much as possible to wrap and pack our orders and minimize the use of plastic, which we also reuse.
Campocura is a life project that was born out of our love for plants, the privilege of being able to sow the earth, nourish it and harvest its fruits, but also the willingness to share its healing essence with those who wish to protect their health and wellbeing in the purest and most conscious way.
We continue to be researchers, now in a different experimental environment where we cultivate and nurture a new life, more resilient, rewarding and of deep connection to the land.
With love and gratitude,
Ana and Carsten
