Plantação de Ananás Augusto Arruda

A traditional pineapple plantation in the Azores, with its white glasshouses and small museum.

The pineapple plantation of Augusto Arruda

In the parish of Fajã de Baixo, on the edge of Ponta Delgada, the plantation of Augusto Arruda keeps alive the art of growing Azorean pineapples. Under long white glasshouses the fruit ripens slowly through the months, and visitors can walk the rows, learn the cycle of the plant and taste the pineapple at its source.

History and character

Pineapples came to the Azores in the nineteenth century, and the islanders learned to grow them under glass, in white-washed houses that capture and spread the heat of the sun. The Arruda family plantation is one of the historic houses of that trade, and it keeps the methods of the traditional cultivation — including the smoking of the houses with wood to encourage the plants to flower.

What to discover

The glasshouses, with the rows of pineapple plants at their different stages.
The story of Azorean pineapple growing, in the plantation’s small museum.
The tasting and sale of the plantation’s fruit and sweets.
The flavours of São Miguel around Ponta Delgada.

Visiting

The plantation is at Fajã de Baixo, on the outskirts of Ponta Delgada, reached by road from the city. It welcomes visitors in its own hours; check the official page before your visit.