News

• The LEADER initiative “Atlantic Roots” connects producers from the Canary Islands and Madeira (Portugal) to improve the quality and marketing of natural cider from the Canary Islands.
• The cooperation project arises from the collaboration between four Local Action Groups from the islands of Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma and El Hierro
• The archipelago has 12 cider houses and a growing potential linked to the territory

The LEADER cooperation project “Atlantic Roots” is progressing towards its goal of promoting and adding value to natural cider from the Canary Islands , an emerging product that is gaining traction in the archipelago's rural areas. The initiative brings together four Local Action Groups ( LAGs ) from different islands (Gran Canaria, Tenerife, La Palma, and El Hierro) to strengthen the sector from a shared perspective.

In a context where Canarian cider presents different levels of development depending on the island where it is produced, the project focuses on cooperation , training and knowledge exchange as key tools to consolidate its growth and position it as a distinctive gastronomic and tourist product.

A diverse sector depending on the island

Currently, the Canary Islands have a total of 12 cider houses distributed across several islands, reflecting an expanding industry with room for further development. This growth is based on a combination of tradition, innovation, and the use of local resources. The sector's current characteristics are:

• Uneven presence between islands, with greater consolidation in Gran Canaria and Tenerife.

• Production linked to the use of surplus apples .

• Development of both artisanal models, more common in El Hierro, and more industrialized models .

• Niche cider production, linked to the recovery of crops and the ecological approach in El Hierro.

• Potential to generate added value in the primary sector.

Goals

The project is structured around two main goals:

1. To promote the production, quality and marketing of natural cider in the Canary Islands.

2. To position it as a gastronomic and tourist attraction of the region.

In addition, specific objectives are set such as:

• Improve the technical training of producers.

• Promote the exchange of knowledge between islands.

• Transferring good practices between the Canary Islands and Madeira .

• Create a network of collaborators between producers and institutions.

• To lay the foundations for the creation of a future "Canary Islands Cider Board" .

Cider production contributes to the circular economy by giving an outlet to fruit that does not meet commercial standards, while also promoting the conservation of the agricultural landscape and local varieties.

Lines of action

To achieve these objectives, the project has launched various initiatives:

• Training programs adapted to each island, designed together with the producers themselves.

• Technical visits to Madeira to learn about its development model and itsProtected Geographical Indications (PGI) .

• Meetings between producers from Macaronesia.

• Product promotion and enhancement activities.

“One of the keys to the process has been precisely the participatory approach, directly involving the sector in identifying needs and in decision-making. In this sense, Canarian cider does not present quality problems; rather, the main challenge lies in professionalization and process improvement,” says José Zoilo, biologist and coordinator of the Tenerife Local Action Group (GAR) .

Initial results

The project has already begun to yield results, especially on the island of Tenerife, where a training program has been developed with high participation from the sector. The main advances are:

• Involvement of producers from different areas of the island.

• Design of specific training adapted to your needs.

• Improvement in manufacturing and control processes .

• Greater stability and quality of the final product.

• Creation of a more professionalized producer base.

These advances represent an important step towards consolidating the sector and adapting it to market demands.

Participants and funding

The project is coordinated by GAR Tenerife, with the participation of:

• Island Association for Rural Development (AIDER) Gran Canaria.

• Local Action and Fisheries Group (GALP) El Hierro.

• Association for Rural Development (ADER) La Palma.

It has also had the specific collaboration of Associação das Casas do Povo da Região Autónoma da Madeira (ACAPORAMA) and Associação para o Desenvolvimento da Região Autónoma da Madeira (ADRAMA) in two specific actions aimed at generating direct benefits for Canarian producers.

Furthermore, the cooperation project is framed within the LEADER intervention of the Strategic Plan for the Common Agricultural Policy (PEPAC)   co-financed by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD)