Grape Farmers & Local Suppliers

They work with 1,100 grape farmers. Many have been supplying the Symingtons for decades & generations. They source goods, materials and services from hundreds of local businesses. Their policy is to buy locally from small suppliers. Symington has a full-time Farmer Liaison Manager whose job is to support grape farmers who supply them, ensuring their farming practices are aligned with our minimum intervention approach.

Ambulance Donations

Over the last eleven years Symington has donated 11 ambulances to different voluntary Fire Brigades in towns and villages throughout the Douro region. The fire services provide a vital lifeline for local communities in the case of medical emergencies, as well as combating the dangerous forest fires that occur regularly in the Douro during the dry summer months.

University Scholarships

Each year they provide two scholarships for students enrolling on either the Oenology or Agricultural Engineering degree courses at the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro (UTAD) in Vila Real. The scholarships, covering all tuition fees for three years, are awarded to one student who lacks the financial resources to pay for the course and one student with proven academic excellence. Many of their employees have been trained at UTAD and they are committed to supporting the next generation of local oenologists and viticulturalists, whose work is so critical to the future of the Douro.

Douro Children’s Charity

Symington supports various local charities, including Bagos d'Ouro (supporting underprivileged children in the Douro region), Patronato Nossa Senhora da Conceição (kindergarten and day care in the Douro for children up to 6 years from lower income families), and Porto do Futuro (connecting businesses with schools in order to provide secondary school students with career insights)