This cooperative's original winery, with its beautiful architectural design, exemplifies the second phase of the cooperative movement in the Beira Interior region. It first processed grapes in 1960 and quickly expanded in membership and vinification volume. During the 1980s and 1990s, member grape deliveries reached their height, exceeding 15 million kilograms and making Adega Cooperativa de Figueira de Castelo Rodrigo one of the country's leading cooperatives and the second largest in Beira Interior.
Until 2002, it was best known for its white wines, which accounted for between 60% and 65% of total output. In recent years, driven by market trends, red wines now represent around half of production.
In 2000, the cooperative underwent a major technological overhaul, acquiring second-generation autovinifiers and a refrigeration system, which greatly contributed to improved wine quality. Today, red wines are vinified in stainless steel vats with temperature control.
Since the 2016 harvest, the cooperative has been receiving organically grown grapes separately, thanks to the initiative of a number of members, allied with the region’s exceptional conditions for this type of production. The resulting wines are marketed as organic and fetch higher prices, with expectations for continued growth.
As with most large-producing cooperatives, the majority of its wine is sold in bulk. Annual quantity and pricing fluctuate significantly depending on harvest yields, unlike bottled or bag-in-box wine sales, which tend to show only minor fluctuations. The cooperative is notable for its appreciable volume of bottled wine sales, reaching 700,000 bottles in 2020, while bag-in-box volumes remain modest, with a resulting increase in the overall added value of its sales.
Its extensive portfolio spans white, red and rosé wines, along with monovarietals, sparkling wines and organic labels.
In recent years, the management has invested in wine tourism through partnerships with Douro Azul – a company specialising in river cruises – and a Spanish travel agency, which has increasingly drawn visitors from across the border to the region.
