Manuel began his career as a TSA with TIMAC AGRO Portugal at the age of 51 in 1999. He has become one of the most successful TSAs in the country. He is very committed to wine-producing areas such as Falua and is now passing on his passion to young recruits.
The first time he met the manager of zone, Rui Rosa, Manuel had no idea what was in store for him at TIMAC AGRO. As a new employee, he used his experience as a company manager to succeed in his second professional career. Armed with an unfailing tenacity, he garnered new agricultural and agronomic knowledge and quickly developed his client portfolio.
“I prepare for my visits the day before to evaluate the needs of each client. I always take the recommended steps a little further. I organise up to 18 visits per day, with a 60 to 70% success rate: that is the goal that I set myself”.
A masterful demonstration
Manuel is especially committed to the wine-growing land he is responsible for, and he forges strong links with the distributors. He provides the best advice to the winegrowers:
“Agriculture is very dependent on the climate. It is up to us to find solutions to minimise losses (caused by hail, for example) and overcome crisis situations. It is also up to us to advise our clients for the long term. When I arrived at the vineyard, I suggested that the winegrowers invest in our solutions to improve the soil, and so the plants. This enriched the wine and the sales price rose. Other producers took an interest in this impressive quality upgrade. Today, our products are said to work ‘miracles’!”
Evolving with our clients
At the start, Manuel only worked with a dozen or so colleagues at the VITAS Portugal meetings, our Portuguese branch founded 24 years ago. Today, the 46 VITAS TSAs work in ideal conditions: they offer a wide range of products and work with modern equipment: tablets, smartphones, etc.
“The agricultural world is changing and it is up to us as TSAs to adapt and make the most of this. Our arguments are backed up by the knowledge of the Roullier Global Centre for Innovation. With its continual innovation, it proves that human intelligence cannot be replaced by machine.”
