Gorreana

Gorreana refers to Fábrica de Chá Gorreana, a tea plantation and factory on the island of São Miguel in the Azores, Portugal. Founded in 1883, it is one of the oldest tea producers in Europe and is notable for having operated for more than a century. The plantation is situated on the island’s northern coast, near Porto Formoso and Ribeira Grande, where the mild, humid Atlantic climate and volcanic soils support Camellia sinensis cultivation.

The factory processes tea leaves harvested from its own plantations and produces both green and black tea. Today the operation remains privately owned and continues to play a significant role in the local agricultural economy while preserving traditional production methods within a modern framework.

Gorreana is a frequent tourist destination, offering guided tours of the factory and surrounding tea fields, explanations of the production process, and opportunities to taste or purchase teas at the on-site shop. The site is commonly included in visitors’ itineraries to the Azores and is often highlighted alongside the nearby Porto Formoso plantation as part of the region’s heritage of tea production.

The name Gorreana has become synonymous with Azorean tea and is one of the best-known examples of long-running European tea production. It contributes to regional identity by sustaining local cultivation, historic processing techniques, and a continuing export presence.