In 2018, I was invited to Mértola, Portugal, to create a natural fragrance for Terra Sintropica — a visionary, community-led initiative devoted to regeneration in semi-arid lands.
This is the story of Spirit of Mértola: its journey, creation, and purpose.

 

How it began

A friend introduced me to Katharina Serafimova, co-creator of Terra Sintropica, who had brought essential oils from Mértola to Zurich. When I told her I create natural fragrances, she asked: “Would you come to Mértola and make a scent called Spirit of Mértola?”
I said yes immediately.

 

The journey

Four weeks later, I arrived in this quiet Alentejo town, joining locals and international guests at a syntropic farming conference.
My days were spent in nature — harvesting eucalyptus on sun-drenched hills, learning from distillers, walking the Guadiana Valley, exploring the region’s layered history, and visiting the first plots of regenerative agriculture.

 

 

As I listened to people, I kept asking: What is the spirit of Mértola?
Their answers shaped the scent: a land of extremes — harsh, dry, hot, cold — yet steeped in mystery, wisdom, and peace.
Warm, tolerant people shaped by centuries of cultures living side by side.

 

The purpose

The fragrance would honour the land’s rugged beauty, the dignity and resilience of its people, and support Terra Sintropica’s mission to restore soil and create local livelihoods.
It was created to inspire harmony, confidence, and perseverance within the project — and to invite others into the vision.

 

The creation

Back home, I gathered my impressions and the wildcrafted oils of Mértola.
Cistus, myrtle and lavender formed the base. Over months, guided by scent and symbolism, the blend revealed itself:

• Cistus ladanifer – vision, centering, resilience
• Myrtus communis – purity, upliftment, empowerment
• Lavandula pedunculata – harmony, reconciliation, emotional balance
• Eucalyptus globulus – fortitude, clarity, grounded focus
• Thymus mastichina – relaxation, mental strength
• Rosmarinus officinalis – energy, confidence, clarity
• Helichrysum stoechas – calm, patience, compassion

 

 

The fragrance

A cool breath of myrtle, rosemary, and eucalyptus rises like morning air —
fresh, clarifying, alive.
It gently melts into lavender’s soothing embrace,
then sinks into the warm, balsamic depth of cistus.
A mystical fragrance inviting you to breathe, to soften,
and return inward —
to the quiet place where your sacred spirit meets you.

 

Its diffusion 

Since then, the fragrance has been gifted to those connected to the project and has opened many hearts — and doors.
It supported a successful crowdfunding campaign for a climate-adapted nursery and is now available in the Apothecary of the Soul shop.

Spirit of Mértola connects earth workers and visionaries in a shared devotion to a thriving planet.

 

A final note

Over the years, Terra Sintropica has grown into an inspiring, widely supported territory-experiment — a Laboratory of the Future for agroecological transition through regeneration through use.

Initiatives like this offer hope. They require strength, vision, and deep care for the earth.

Spirit of Mértola is my thank you — to the farmers, volunteers, supporters, and dreamers who make this future possible.

 

Discover more:
Terra Sintropica
Syntropic Farming Ernst Götsch