In 2012, the company Concepsal S.L. began work to recover the Fornells salt mines which were constructed on Menorca in the 19th century and later fell into disuse throughout the 1980s.
In addition to reinstating salt production, Concepsal launched a project to showcase Menorca’s salt mining culture and opened the facilities up to the public, enabling local people to enjoy the natural landscape. This is a particularly important and protected part of the Mediterranean ecosystem (Natural Area of Special Interest, LIC and Special Protection Area for Birds)
The landscape of the salt mines is an economic unit which has been recovered to create an ethnological and cultural space where traditional human activity interacts with nature.
Under the name Reserva la Concepció, we designed a range of activities to showcase the area via guided visits and collaborations with the local government departments for agriculture and fishing, the environment and gastronomy.
A website provided communication support and various media were used to disseminate the history and techniques of salt production in several languages. Activities included a tour of Ses Salines Noves with a focus on the natural ecosystem.
Events and talks were organised in collaboration with associations such as Fra Roger, El Gob Menorca and Fundació Destí to position the reserve on the Menorcan map as an entity which actively showcases the island’s culture and heritage.
Under the name Flor de Fornells, a brand was created for the Flor de Sal from the reserve – a local brand for a natural product free from colours and preservatives.
