EL NORTE DE CASTILLA / LAURA NEGRO

In the Torozos region, the fields are painted purple. Lavender pushes its way through the cereal crops, offering a spectacle for the eyes and the nose. Thanks to this aromatic plant, Tiedra has become an ideal destination for bloom-season tourists eager to discover its secrets. Luz María Cuadrado and Antonio Fonseca, a couple of entrepreneurs, recently inaugurated Tiedra de Lavanda, an interpretation center dedicated to lavender cultivation, proving that tourism and agriculture can go hand in hand in promoting heritage, landscapes, and culture.

Antonio, a forestry engineer from Toro (Zamora), has more than 30 years of professional experience in the rural sector, offering forestry, agricultural, and biomass services. A pioneer with great vision and innovation skills, he chose lavender and lavandin in 2006 as dry-farming alternatives for the Montes Torozos region.

Thus, he founded Aromáticas del Duero, a company dedicated to producing and marketing essential oils. "We manage about 325 hectares of lavender, with Tiedra as the epicenter. We are the largest distillery in Castile and León and among the most important nationally. Lavender has many horizons, and tourism is one of the most promising. In Provence, France — the world leader in lavender — tourism generates 2.5 times more income than agriculture itself. We can’t compare ourselves to them, but we must follow their example. We took the leap because we believed this project would also revitalize our village and the surrounding area," says Antonio.

Luz, born and raised in Tiedra, studied Psychology in Salamanca and specialized in Human Resources. She spent her career in training and employment counseling, working for private companies and public administration. Her last position was with the Public Employment Service (Ecyl) for five years. "I had never considered starting my own business. Working in public administration was convenient for work-life balance, and I enjoyed it. But when Ecyl made staffing cuts and offered me a transfer, I chose to resign. That’s when I seriously considered becoming an entrepreneur," Luz recalls.

Though excited, she felt some fear. "Many tourists were already coming to Tiedra, eager to see the lavender fields — still a relatively unknown and anecdotal crop in the region. I believed it had huge potential beyond agriculture, and I was convinced that diversifying the business would be a success," she adds.

They had an agricultural building next to their distillery, near the lavender fields, which they converted into the Lavender Interpretation Center. They sought support from the Local Action Group (GAL) Central Zone of Valladolid, receiving advice and a Leader grant covering €61,969 — 30% of their total investment. "The GAL technicians immediately believed in our project and made everything easier. We bought land to make the building more accessible, although the process took longer than expected. Meanwhile, I focused on researching and preparing the center’s content. It required a lot of time and study. Planning the space was also challenging, but I thoroughly enjoyed it. I wanted the visit to be engaging and attractive," explains Luz.

Photos L N