Second cargo

Our second cargo of sail freighted goods has arrived in London.

Transported during October on the 1904 trading ketch Bessie Ellen, across the Bay of Biscay from Porto to Cornwall, for this adventure in reviving sail transport we again worked with New Dawn Traders and Xisto Wines.

Unpredictable winds and unusual weather patterns for the time of year made it a challenging journey, with damage to the main sail one stormy night in the Bay of Biscay. We witness the impacts wrought by climate change frst hand when we choose to travel by sail ship, relying on the power of nature to move goods. Instead of the once predictable westerlies we were faced with persistent northerlies - inconsistent and unexpected weather patterns are a part of the myriad climate change impacts we face.

Two tonnes of freight by air from Porto takes just over two hours - and emits 4,000 tonnes of CO2. Our trip took close on two weeks. Bessie Ellen has a reserve diesel engine, unlike the Nordlys, which has no engine, sail power only, and that we used for the first cargo. So - yep, there were some carbon emissions on this journey, as we headed through those northerlies. Our aim is zero emissions - sometimes we have to settle for as-close-to-zero as we can get.

Olive Oil
We now have olive oil from two olive farmers in Portugal - Reigado from the Coa valley in the north-east of the country, and Caixero from Tras-as-Montes. Both with the same goal: to make delicious olive oil in harmony with the local ecosystems, nurturing both people and planet from soil to serving. Both the extra virgin olive oils are officially qualified by an IOOC certified laboratory. They are beautiful olive oils, bought for a fair price so that our farmers can continue to take good care of our land and trees.

Wine
In stock … red and white wines from the Douro, Dao, and Tras as Montes regions of northern Portugal. All these wines have been imported by Xisto Wines of Bristol. Xisto is the only UK wine importer dedicated solely to importing Portuguese artisan wines. They work with a new wave of young winemakers, committed to producing  wines with character and a sense of place, in small quantities, using organic and bio-dynamic methods.