A few years ago, I was invited to Mértola, Portugal, to create a scent for a Food Network project. In this post, I give you the scent story: how it all started, the scent journey, scent creation process and what it does in the world. Discover: Spirit of Mértola.

 

How it all started

It all started with a text message from a friend. A dear friend of his was in Zurich with essential oils from Mértola, the place in Portugal she’d recently moved to. Was I interested in smelling them?

I met Katharina the next day for lunch in the traditional Volkshaus Zürich. She showed me the oils and told me about the Food Network project she was managing in Mértola.

At some point she asked what I do. I told her I make fragrances with essential oils and mentioned Scents of Ibiza, a blend I made when I was living on the island. She looked at me and said, “Would you come to Mértola and create a scent called Spirit of Mértola?” I said: “Of course! When do you want me to come?”

 

 

Scent journey

Four weeks later I was standing at Faro airport, no idea what to expect (I love a little adventure). After an hour’s drive to Mértola, a quaint little town in southeastern Alentejo, and the warmest Portuguese welcome by my host Nadia, I settled in in her cosy guest appartement in the old town.

The next morning, I met Katharina and other people from Mértola, Germany, Austria and Brasil. They were all there for the Syntropic Farming conference with Ernst Götsch.

We drove half an hour to a hill with eucalyptus trees for harvest and distillation.

 

 

There we met Vitor and Fernando, the local essential oils distillers. They showed us how to cut the leaves and we got to work.

I love to work in nature. It’s satisfying. It calms my thoughts, gets me into a meditative flow.

And I get a feeling for the plant I’m working with. This is important to me. Working with essential oils, the spirit of the plant, I like to get to know the plant itself. Where it grows, in what conditions it thrives, how it looks, smells, and its healing properties.

 

 

Within an hour or two we harvested a truck full of Eucalyptus radiata while getting to know each other.

 

 

Then we drove to the distillery in Corte Sines, a little village 20 minutes from Mértola town.

There: unload the truck, load the distiller containers, watch the distillation process (always fascinating), smell, chat, have a drink at the local bar…

 

 

 

A good time for me to start interviewing locals. Question of the week:

How is the spirit of Mértola for you? What does it feel like?

The answers range from: it’s hard, harsh, poor, dry… hot in summer, cold in winter… to: mystical, ancient, quiet, peaceful, wise, beautiful nature, friendly people. Tolerant – with a long history of different cultures living side by side.

These answers, my own perception of the land and the people, and the scent purpose influenced the creation of Spirit of Mértola.

And of course, the powerful essential oils of Vitor and Fernando. I got them all – not knowing which ones I would use for the scent.

The day ended with a jolly and yummy dinner chez Fernando.

 

 

Back home: take notes, reflect, digest, integrate. I go to sleep with a smile on my lips. A very fulfilling feeling to be greeted by strangers with: oh, you are the scent maker 🙂

Day 2 to 5: I’ll give you the short version.

A solitary walk in the Guadiana Valley National Park.

 

 

A guided tour with Nuno Roxo, local guide, where we learnt a lot about the multicultural history of Mértola.

 

 

The Syntropic Farming conference with Ernst Götsch. The Swiss farming pioneer was there to mentor the pilot project in Mértola. He’d moved to Brasil in the early 80s and transformed 480 hectares of degraded land into a lush cacao plantation .

The system he developed became known as syntropic farming (similar to permaculture; check out the link at the end of this post). Highly inspiring!

 

 

A visit to Antonio’s vegetable garden on the other side of the river. It’s one of the plots of land where syntropic farming is applied.

 

 

Scent purpose

And finally, a chat with Katharina about the scent Spirit of Mértola.

Who is it for?
What’s the purpose of the scent?
What should it represent?

Essentially:

👉🏻 A fragrance for the Food Network project in Mértola: an initiative to regenerate degraded land and to provide organic food and work for the local population. The introduction of syntropic farming in the region.

👉🏻 A scent created with wildcrafted plants of the region. As a reflection of the ancient spirit, the beauty and roughness of the land. The dignity and resilience of the people.

👉🏻 For the people involved in the project – to inspire harmony, confidence, and perseverance in the creation of their vision. And to attract people who want to weave the same dream.

Righto.

 

Scent creation and how it’s used

On my last evening in Mértola, I sat down in my provisional home, reviewed all the impressions and my notes. I laid out all the essential oils in front of me. As I tuned in, something was clear: Cistus ladanifer, Lavandula pedunculata and Myrtus communis would be the basis of Spirit of Mértola.

 

 

So I started to mix.

Over the next months, step by step, it became clear how much of which essence wanted to go into the blend. After six months, Spirit of Mértola was born. I made two versions. I sent them to Katharina. She was very pleased with both versions, but after a while, No. 1 emerged as the favourite.

 

 

Up to now I’ve produced a number of blends and sent them to Katharina to use at her discretion. She gives them to people involved in the project, or friends and sponsors of the project, whenever she feels inspired to do so. According to her, it’s touched many hearts and opened several doors in the last years…

Now you can also buy Spirit of Mértola in the Apothecary of the Soul webshop. 20% of the proceeds go to the project.

Spirit of Mértola was also offered as one of the rewards in this crowdfunding project . It was set up to raise funds for the organic nursery, to ensure access to climate adapted seeds and seedlings for the regeneration projects in Mértola. I’m happy to report that thanks to 174 generous supporters 112% of the pledged amount was reached. Together we are stronger 👭👩🏻‍🤝‍👨🏼🌳

 

In conclusion

Initiatives like these give hope.

And perspective.

Not only for the people who are directly involved and benefit from it. But globally, for the planet. I have a deep respect for people who work the land in a sustainable way.

It’s not an easy path. It needs strength, perseverance, and a vision, to not give up.

Ultimately, this is the future.

 

Spirit of Mértola is a THANK YOU to the farmers, volunteers, politicians, fundraisers and all the people who support regenerative farming.

It’s been an immense pleasure and an honor to create this scent.

Thank you, Katharina, for giving me this opportunity. And thank you Vitor, Fernando, Antonio, Marta, Nadia, Nuno, and all the other friends I met, for generously sharing your knowledge, your time and yourselves.

And Thank YOU, reader, for your support ❤️

 

Learn more here:

Food Network Mértola
Regenerative Nursery Mértola
Terra Sintropica
Syntropic Farming Ernst Götsch
Dalen Guadiana essential oils