07/08/2025

Life at Vinagra: A 30-Year Journey, Rooted in the Land

Our connection with Vinagra spans over three decades, but it wasn’t until 2022 that we made it our permanent home. Getting to know a place—and its people—takes time, often a lifetime. And even then, there’s always more to discover. Here, the rhythms of the land shape our days, not the walls of an office.

Morning on the Farm: Where Work Begins in the Fields

By 7:30 AM, Jenny, our live-in caretaker, is already preparing breakfast. An hour later, Ricardo, our livestock coordinator, starts his rounds—checking on sheep, chickens, and feeding the pigs with wheat soaked since the night before. Then comes the careful rotation of animals: sheep, donkeys, ponies, and even our llama move to fresh paddocks, following a grazing plan designed to nurture both the land and the animals.

Grazing with Purpose: Nature’s Way of Renewal

Here, grazing isn’t just about feeding animals—it’s about healing the land. We follow holistic management principles, using the animals to naturally fertilize and aerate the soil. Their hooves trample the earth, their manure enriches it, and their grazing stimulates fresh growth. But timing is everything: we move them when 70% of the forage is eaten, ensuring plants recover and soil stays protected.

Ricardo still grumbles about moving fences twice a day—but the results speak for themselves. Our goal? Year-round grazing, with resilient pastures that sustain both livestock and ecosystem.

A Different Rhythm: Slow Farming, Lasting Impact

At Vinagra, we resist the rush for efficiency at all costs. No heavy machinery, no squeezing every minute for productivity. Instead, we work with nature’s pace—because some things, like trust and fertile soil, can’t be hurried.

This is our life. Not just a farm, but a place where animals, land, and people thrive together.