Family farm
Évora
WE ARE LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS FOR OUR OLIVE HARVEST AND OWN OLIVE OIL PRODUCTION FROM THE 24TH OF SEPTEMBER UNTIL THE 4TH OF NOVEMBER. We are also looking for help for the pruning of our olive trees from the 5th of November until the end of November check our website www.dabaronia.com A Swiss couple living on a 90-hectare olive and sheep farm with a vegetable garden. We host retreats and welcome guests in our two guest houses. We are looking for wwoofers with a range of skills.
We are a couple from Switzerland and spent the last 35 years traveling the world from Africa to South East Asia, to Europe and South America with our four children. Andreas specializes in farming and Andrea is an artist, making paintings and sculptures. We love meeting people from all walks of life and can speak German, English, French, and Portuguese.
Five years ago we settled in Portugal on a beautiful 90-hectare farm in the Alentejo region, a dream we have had for a long time. We have sheep, chickens, and a little cat (Sammi). We have an organic vegetable garden that provides food for us all year round and is surrounded by olive, cork, and fruit trees. We also have an art atelier and workshop for various projects. We also host retreats and welcome guests (primarily families) who rent our two guest houses.
We still need help in maintaining our farm. We are looking for help with maintenance as well as implementing new projects on the farm. Below are the projects that we have worked on in the past and continue in the future.
Maintenance projects: tending to the vegetable garden, trimming olive trees, fixing fences, irrigation, painting, cleaning the land from stones/weeds/bushes, preparing the two guesthouses for guests,
building a small greenhouse.
We still have a lot of ideas like laying a trail through our old olive trees, and planting a fruit tree orchard (interested in permaculture!).
Artistic projects: mural paintings, land art, photography/videography, work on our website, writing.
We especially need help during our olive harvest (End of September to the beginning of November), you can help us harvest the olives and make our finest organic olive oil!
We are looking for people who are flexible, motivated to help out, and easy-going. You will be staying in one of the guest rooms either by yourself or with a fellow wwoofer, depending on how many people we have. Working hours are flexible but we would be happy to receive help for about 30 hours per week. Depending on the work we prefer that you work the whole day and take more days off. You have normally weekends free to do what you like! Meals will be eaten together with us, and we will cook for you, but you are also welcome to help out. If you are working on the farm with us, please bring a good pair of shoes and make sure you are covered by accident insurance (check your travel insurance plan). Wifi is accessible in the houses.
During your free time, you can do some sightseeing, use our art atelier for artistic projects, use our bikes, or relax on the farm. We are accessible by train or bus from Lisbon or Beja and can easily do day trips.
If you are interested in coming, send us a short video of yourself or write a few paragraphs including your motivations to come to help us out and what you would like to do.
We are looking forward to hearing from you and welcoming you to our home!
Certifications: We are organic certified
Internet access available
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Learning opportunities
Vegetable farming
Fruit or nut farming
Flower farming
Aromatic or medicinal plants, teas
Cheesemaking
Vegetable or fruit preservation
Traditional crafts
Methods or systems
Biological pest control
Regenerative agriculture
Host type
Production farm
Certified organic
90
Hectares
|
222.4
Acres
Andrea
Member since 2019
Languages spoken:
English, French, German, Portuguese
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Mon
Tue
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Response rate: 100%
Response time: typically within 5 days
Évora
We are located close to Vila Nova de Baronia in the Alentejo region, 20 Minutes South of Evora. It is one hour and a half by car or train from Lisbon and also accessible by bus through Evora.
Reviews
Isabella
United States
•
May 2025
I feel very grateful to have had this as my WWOOF-ing experience and enjoyed my time here. Andreas and Andrea were great hosts with a beautiful property. Andrea is an amazing cook and they were very accommodating and welcoming. I learned so much during my time here and was able to meet many different people. It’s hard work but completely worth it and I’d highly recommend volunteering here!
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Debbie
Germany
•
April 2024
Thank you to Andrea and Andreas for the wonderful time. It was my first WWOOF experience and it was wonderful! Felt like family and I was really sad to leave. The work was fun and I learned many things.
I will come back soon!
Kimberley
United States
•
June 2023
I spent a lovely three weeks in Andreas and Andrea's oasis. They were kind, thoughtful and patient. Andrea is a super talented cook. Since I was there outside of olive harvest season, my days were spent mostly gardening and helping with housekeeping in the villas. I was also responsible for the chickens and I was lucky for the opportunity to participate in their cork harvest. I was able to explore Viana do Alentejo by bicycle and Evora by bus. I learned many things that I will never forget and I left feeling fulfilled and inspired. Herdade dos Alfanges is a beautiful, tranquil place that attracts amazing people! Many thanks to Andrea and Andreas.
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Rod
Portugal
•
November 2022
My wife and I recently spent five weeks, from beginning to end of the 2022 olive harvest season, at Herdade dos Alfanges. What a great experience we had. Though harvesting the olives can be quite physically demanding, everyone contributes in whatever way is best suited to their abilities and interests.
Andrea and Andreas are such wonderful and welcoming hosts, offering top notch accomodations, amenities, amazing meals, and social events. There is always lots of volunteers staying during the olive harvest season between late September and early November, so the evening dinners are quite a fun ending to the day.
Our primary tasks involved harvesting the olives out in the fields as well as working in the on-site mill producing the very best organic extra virgin olive oil out there. Additional activities included keeping the mill cleaned after each processing day, assisting with meal prep and/or after-dinner cleanup, and various other tasks as needed.
Was a great opportunity to learn about the olive harvest and oil production, meet such wonderful hosts and the many awesome volunteers and new friends from around the world. Highly recommend and can't wait to visit again. :-)
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Maisie
United Kingdom
•
December 2021
I had an amazing experience working with Andreas and Andrea on the olive harvest!
I stayed for 2 weeks and whilst they expect hard work, they are extremely hospitable, lovely and interesting people. The accommodation was very comfortable and evening meals were always great fun! I would definitely come back again and would recommend a stay at Alfranges!
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Anne
Netherlands
•
December 2021
I would highly recommend Herdade dos Alfanges and a stay with the warmhearted owners Andrea and Andreas. The farm is a very well-organized and inspiring place to work and learn. The house I stayed in was magnificent and they did everything to make me feel at home. For me, it was an added value that they have their own mill, which enables you to see the entire process to make olive oil (if you come between September and November and are eager to learn during your stay). Andrea and Andreas create a nice balance between hard work, good food, and bring together an interesting mix of volunteers (wwoofers and their friends). Every evening we had abundant dinners together and each meal Andrea surprised us with a different tasteful dish. Next to harvesting, processing olives, and pruning tasks, I spend time in the vegetable garden, which made it an interesting mixture of tasks during my 6-week stay.
I hope to come back next year!
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