A Personal Letter

Berlin, April 25, 2010

My great-grandfather was called José Custódio Barreiro. He was a farmer and a good businessman living in the small Portuguese village of Castanheira. I heard many stories about him from my father and grandfather, drawing the picture of a very strict and serious man strongly concerned with his commerce. He was softened, though, by his caring and tender wife. Portugal at the time was extremely rural, and my great-grandfather earned his living by producing olive oil and wine. And, of course, his famous reed baskets. He sold many baskets to places all over Portugal and delivered the baskets with a cow and cart. My great-grandfather employed many people in Castanheira, all working in the production of baskets. After my great-grandfather died, his son, who was my granduncle, took over the business. After his death, it was continued by my grand-aunt, who still oversees the production of baskets today. However, nowadays, the business is very small, and the staff of my grandaunt only consists of six people. All employees are old and have worked for the company for many decades. They are handcrafting baskets using the same traditional technique from the time of my great-grandfather.

Every step of the process is done by hand: The women cut the reed sticks into bunches of equal size, clean and dry them and clear their colour in a process of burning sulphur. Afterwards they colour the remaining darker pieces with colour pigments and weave them on a hand loom in a variety of patterns. The finished parts are being stitched together in the form of a bag. The handles of the baskets are made of willow branches that are bound and fastened onto the baskets.

Sometimes I am sad because I know that the craft of making baskets is coming to an end. When this last generation of old workers dies it might be the end of the Portuguese reed basket tradition. But before this happens I would like to share and cherish this beautiful part of my culture heritage with you.

Yours Sincerely, 
Nuno Henriques

P.S.: TOINO ABEL was the name people called my grandfather—the person who gave me boundless love and who I cherished deeply. Naming this venture after him is my heartfelt homage to his life, his memory, and the values he inspired.

P.P.S.: TOINO ABEL was founded in 2010 with a sense of urgency and an admittedly naive hope—captured in this personal letter—to save a craft destined to vanish within 5 to 10 years. My great-aunt, the last family member carrying on the basketry business, retired in 2022 after dedicating her life to this work. As TOINO ABEL approaches its 15th anniversary, a new personal letter is in the works—a reflection of how far we've come and the legacy we continue to build.