MARKETING PLAN: ORGANIC ALTER REAL, BY COMPANHIA DAS LEZÍRIAS

Olive trees originate from the Mediterranean Basin, an area where around 95% of the world's olive oil is produced and consumed. Currently, Portugal supplies 3% of the world´s production, revealing that the olive oil sector is strategic in the Portuguese market. Additionally, Organic Farming is emerging as a strategic opportunity for the agricultural sector since organic products are produced using more sustainable practices, minimizing the impact of agriculture on the ecosystem, and are perceived as healthier, tastier, and environmentally conscious products. The object of study of this final Master´s Project is developing a marketing plan for a new extra virgin olive oil: Organic Alter Real, produced by Companhia das Lezírias, the largest agricultural and forestry exploitation in Portugal. The company´s areas of operation include Lezíria de Vila Franca de Xira, Charneca do Infantado, Paúl de Magos, Coudelaria Alter (a 30-year state concession), and EVOA (the country's largest bird observation center). Additionally, CL has an extensive area of 70 hectares of olive groves planted, located in Herdade de Catapereiro, with roots dating back to the 18th century. Currently, exhibits a diverse selection of five different olive varieties, including the traditional “Galega” olive variety, which is the variety used to produce Alter Real extra virgin olive oil. To develop this Marketing Plan, a research strategy known as action research was applied. The methodology used involves primary and secondary sources of information, which were conducted through mixed methods, particularly qualitative and quantitative methods. During the initial stage, an informal semi-structured online interview was conducted with the responsible for the Viticulture and Oliviculture Area of CL, where it was possible to gather relevant information about the company. In the second stage, an online questionnaire was conducted, and its main objective was to collect information about the participant's olive oil purchasing habits. Based on the results obtained, it was possible to observe that 84% of the respondents would be willing to buy an organic bottle of virgin olive oil, the five most important aspects when choosing an olive oil, ranked by importance are quality (79%), price (61%), acidity level (34%), health benefits (25%), and origin of the olive oil (22%), 23% of the respondents believe that the price of organic olive oil should be 15% higher than conventional olive oil, and only 35% of respondents mentioned that they were familiar with Companhia das Lezírias´ olive oil. The new Organic Alter Real will be available in new points of sale, such as organic food shops, gourmet markets, and specialized organic shops in the Lisbon and Porto Metropolitan Area. Additionally, for the promotion of the new product, Organic Alter Real will showcase the slogan: Unique, Natural, Full of History, and 100% Portuguese.