Cedros (Horta) - Economy

Economy

The main economy in this area is agriculture. The soil of the parish is fertile allowing the cultivation of various legumes and grains. Wheat, corn, beans, potatoes and sweet potatoes have been agricultural staples in the region over the decades.

Dairy production has also had an important role in the economy since this northern coast was populated, but it only became an organized industry in the early 1920s. About this time an enterprising couple (Professor Constantino Magno do Amaral and D. Teresa) began a small factory in the area of Rua da Igreja, eventually occupying the building currently "occupied" by Ethnographic Museum (Nulceu Etnográfico dos Cedros) across from the main church. Later, a second firm, Castro, Merrinho & Xavier began operating in Cascalho, along Canada do Inês. José Freitas also developed a small business in Canto da Gatinha, a group of investors started the União dos Lavradores that operated along the regional road, and the União Industrial Cedrenses (locally referred to as "fábrica do Marujo") was also formed in Praça (long after Professor Amaral's operation had ceased). By 1941 many of these operations had been bought or failed and the remaining businesses, Castro, Merrinho & Xavier and União Industrial, were being squeezed by low milk prices. It was then that a group of enterprising farmers, under the counsel of Professor José da Rosa Aica, banded together to form what would eventually be known as the cooperative CALF: the Cooperativa Agrícola dos Lactícinios do Faial. The idea of a cooperative spread quickly in the north of the island through the parishes, and it quickly became the largest enterprise on the island. Castro, Merrinho & Xavier was later purchased by a group from Lisbon to form Lacto Açoreana, it lasted briefly, eventually coming under the control of a Horta businessman and failing. The União Industrial Cedrense was purchased by Martins & Rebello, then the largest milk processor in Portugal, and moved to Cascalho (not too far from the Cooperativo) to occupy the old Castro, Merrinho & Xavier buildings. By 2004, the Cooperative had survived the competition, and restructured its operations to compete in the European market, expanding physically to handle the production. It is the principal business located in Cascalho, and responsible for the production and packaging of cheese and butter under the Ilha Azul label. In Cedros, Martins & Rebello did not survive the century. As part of its customer-driven re-inorientation, the factory once-again reintroduced its store-front cheese shop (abandoned during the late 20th century), and experimented with new variants for restaurants, such as their Moledo table cheese.

Tourism has become the second local industry in the region. "Rural Tourism", highlighted by the Nucleo Etnográfico dos Cedros and several renovated "bed and breakfast"-like cottages, attract visitors to this northern coast village. The museum once included several examples of antique farm implements, equipment and tools used in daily life, as well as some pictures associated with the village and life in 19th-20th centuries. Currently, the Museum is in disuse, and most of the exhibits have been placed "in storage".

The area is served by several small shops, including bakery and pastery shop, hair-dressers, mechanical shops, car dealerships, restaurants (such as the Esconderijo), and a supermarket (Aldina Supermercado/Restaurante) open in 2012, that serves both the local market of Cascalho and nuclear settlements of Cedros, as well as other parishes surrounding the civil parish.