Back in 1986, Milenar producer Helder Madeira channelled his enthusiasm for crushed olives into a small and modest company which began operating in premises of just 36m2. With 29 years of experience under his belt, and a great appreciator of the region’s traditional riches, he set to work using rudimentary processes, packing the olives in typical earthenware and wooden containers. The essence and simplicity of his products won over many customers, sales increased and he was soon selling olives all over the eastern Algarve.

With quality and high standards of customer satisfaction always a primary concern, the business continued to grow. Today, the company operates in premises of 1,500m2 and with the most suitable equipment to ensure it can adapt to changing market demands and respond accordingly.

And so, with the aim of preserving time-honoured flavours and know-how, Milenar was born. The company’s product range is free from chemical preservatives; instead, Milenar uses salt and aromatic herbs to ensure the genuine flavour of every product remains completely unadulterated.

The raw materials are gathered from the Algarve uplands with the greatest care by the farmers, whose know-how has been handed down from generation to generation over many years, promoting a fusion of modernity and tradition.

The result of the experience garnered from such consolidated expertise is the variety of unique flavours, ranging from savoury to sweet and spicy to aromatic, which Milenar brings to your table.

Since Milenar products are made with the greatest care and admiration for traditional values, the brand makes a point of focusing on the complementary relationship between this highly valuable legacy and a balanced, healthy diet. Milenar’s products are among the foodstuffs considered to be part of the Mediterranean Diet, which consists of fresh, locally-produced foods that are not only tasty but are also high in nutritional value. In purely geographical terms, Portugal is not a Mediterranean country since its shores are bathed only by the Atlantic Ocean. However, it is definitely Mediterranean in nature; its climate, fauna and flora, agricultural produce and the conviviality of its people are all typical of an area with a characteristic healthy diet that incorporates time-honoured know-how and wisdom. Often appreciated for the friendly companionship shared by diners at meal times, the Mediterranean Diet has been classed by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

And it is in this way that the Milenar brand is intimately connected to an ancient legacy for humankind; it is not simply a question of eating habits, but of an entire way of life, a social and cultural act that is repeated again and again, around any table replete with Mediterranean tradition.