Isilda Mendes is 61 years old and was born and raised in Ferraria de São João, in the municipality of Penela. She has always lived in this village, where she has worked in agriculture and cheese production for over 40 years.
Her routine is dedicated to work on the farm and making cheese, an activity she has mastered over decades. Throughout her entire professional life, she has never been able to take a vacation, dedicating all her time to supporting her family.
Isilda's life reflects the reality of many rural women in Portugal, who take on fundamental roles in agriculture and the production of traditional food products, often without conditions for rest or leisure.
The village of Ferraria de São João, in the interior of the Coimbra district, keeps agricultural and artisanal traditions alive through people like Isilda, who contribute to the preservation of ancestral knowledge and to the local economy.
