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✅How Did the Azores Become the Only Producers of Tea and Pineapples in Europe?

The 19th century was economically dominated by the cultivation and trade of oranges. However, as the orange cycle neared its end, it became necessary to invest in alternative crops—even the most unlikely ones, such as tea and pineapples.

Starting with tea cultivation, which originated in the East (China and Japan), it is believed to have been introduced to the Azores in the early 19th century. However, it was in 1874, through the initiative of the "Sociedade Promotora da Agricultura Micaelense" (Micaelense Agricultural Promotion Society), that two Chinese specialists, Lan Pan and Landan Tem, arrived in São Miguel. Their purpose was to teach the local population the techniques for harvesting and processing tea leaves to maximize the crop’s potential. Following this initiative, tea cultivation spread to several locations on the island, such as Ribeira Grande and Porto Formoso. To encourage production, it was decided that land dedicated to tea cultivation would not be taxed. Additionally, José do Canto, a well-known local landowner, imported a tea-processing machine from England, which was installed at Caldeira Velha in Ribeira Grande.

It is important to highlight that São Miguel is the only region in Europe that produces tea, making it a significant tourist attraction today.

Regarding pineapples, their cultivation was experimented with from the mid-19th century onward. In 1864, under the initiative of businessman José Bensaúde, the first shipment of pineapples from São Miguel was exported to London. The initial successes encouraged further investment, and in 1873, the Sociedade de Cultura de Ananases (Pineapple Cultivation Society) was founded, leading to the construction of numerous greenhouses. From then on, exports to England increased (which had previously been the largest consumer of local oranges), and by the late 19th century, the export market had expanded to Germany, particularly Hamburg. To illustrate the scale of production, by 1910, nearly 1500000 pineapples were exported to London and Hamburg.

Being an exotic fruit typically found in tropical climates, pineapples had to be acclimatized to the local conditions using greenhouses, which remain a distinctive feature in areas such as Vila Franca and Ponta Delgada on the island of São Miguel.

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