Aldea, in Janas
The organic movement took a while to gain traction in the more traditional regions within Europe, but we’re happy to report that you can find local shops scattered throughout Portugal, especially in the Lisbon/Sintra metro area, and around Porto.
Our area around Colares has a couple of places; in particular we’ve found a nice selection and good prices at Cooperativa Aldea, a restaurant/café/grocery in Janas, just a couple of kilometers up the road from Colares. The business is the commercial face of the Ecoaldeia Janas (“Eco Village Janas”), which delivers the produce from its local farms and offers workshops in a variety of disciplines.
The pratos do dia, or daily specials, at Aldea feature at least one veggie choice, and the homemade desserts are marvelous. Aldea has local craft brews by the bottle, at times, and a local hard cider (sidra) made by the coop–and not often seen in Portugal.
The grocery is stocked with an expanding variety of local produce and bulk grains/legumes in bins, along with dry goods and canned goods at reasonable cost. Opening hours vary, so a call to them before you go comes in handy.
During January 2019, they’re taking some time to enclose their front patio, and they’ve expanded lounge space inside, so that more folks can enjoy the food and enlightenment within.
