Our Team
Miguel COTTON
FOUNDER, AGROECOLOGY ENTHUSIAST — Tavira, Portugal
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Miguel Cotton founded in 1994 a tour operator (Continents Insolites) established in Belgium and France and specialized in the creation and marketing of high-end tailor-made discovery trips. His current professional activities include teaching at the University of Brussels and the development of educational activities related to agroecology.
He visited and took part in many agroecological sites throughout the world (Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Japan, Thailand, Indonesia,…). He studied permaculture in Ireland (Permaculture Design Certificate) and in Denmark (Permaculture Educators’ course). His main focus area is how to implement science-driven agroecological practices to fruit production.
Milan NEPALI
GARDEN MANAGER — Tavira, Portugal
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Born in Nepal, Milan's deep connection with nature began in his childhood, spent in a village near the Annapurnas. Over the years, he has gained extensive horticultural experience, further deepening his understanding of the natural world.
As Garden Manager, Milan has been deeply involved in every essential aspect of the botanical garden, from studying newly arrived plants to planting, pruning, fertilizing, and managing pests. His meticulous care ensures the garden’s health and balance.
Milan has also joined the Fruit Tree Academy as an Instructor, where he shares his extensive knowledge and hands-on experience with garden enthusiasts, inspiring others to connect with nature.
Dror AVITAL
SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR — Faro, Portugal
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Dror Avital is a plant biologist who is contributing significantly to the development of the Botanical Garden. He has extensive experience in Agricultural Development Projects worldwide.
Born in the Judean Mountain's region of Israel, Dror holds a degree in Plant Biology from the Agricultural Department of the Hebrew University, specializing in plant protection and biological agents.
Driven by a mission to establish robust and sustainable food production systems that directly enhance the livelihoods of local communities, Dror has led successful cultivation projects in diverse locations, including India, Nepal, Ethiopia, Portugal, and Israel. In 2019, Dror immigrated to Portugal to establish Grovida SA, the largest medical marijuana farm in Europe. With a wealth of experience and a commitment to fostering positive change, Dror is now assisting the Orchard of Flavours Botanical Garden. He fully agrees with our mission: cultivating more fruit trees locally, adjusting to climate change and sharing knowledge.
Dror is helping us develop a rigorous scientific framework for propagating and fertilizing our fruit trees. He is also the instructor of many of our fruit tree academy workshops, covering fruit tree maintenance (pruning and fertilizing) and the propagation of fruit trees. Do not hesitate to contact him at avitaldror@gmail.com.
Lucas OLIVEIRA
AGRONOMIC ENGINEER — Tavira, Portugal
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Lucas Oliveira joined the Orchard of Flavours Botanical Garden in November 2024, following a two-year world tour during which he cycled an average of 200 km per day — a clear testament to his dedication and endurance. He speaks four languages (English, Portuguese, French, and Spanish) and graduated from the University of Coimbra with a degree in Agronomic Engineering. Over the years, Lucas has worked on a variety of agricultural projects in subtropical countries such as India and Australia.
Since joining our team, Lucas has been an invaluable asset, taking part in our Food Tree Academy program to train local gardeners. He is currently developing a comprehensive guide on growing mango trees in Mediterranean climates.
You can contact him directly on +351 969 175 712
Dave NORWOOD
ADVISOR — Tavira, Portugal
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Although he never really gets his hands dirty, Dave first planted a coconut garden in Mahaballipuram, Tamil Nadu in the mid 90’s and was amazed that 45 (out of 60) survived the terrible tsunami of 2004.
For decades he has been haphazardly planting and enjoying trees across the world, banana and coconut in the Bahamas, olive and almond in Spain, walnut and sweet chestnut in France, apple and pear in Ireland, before retiring to an ancient cider orchard in Devon, England. When not planting trees, he became a chess grandmaster and entrepreneur, helping set up companies like IP Group, Oxford Science Enterprises and Oxford Nanopore.
Finally he moved with his young family to the East Algarve in 2020, and fell in love with citrus fruit, enjoying his orange and tangerine orchard. Having met Miguel, he is now observing his own garden become more diverse and exotic. He is delighted to live close to the Orchard of Flavours and will do everything he can to make this magnificent project succeed (without of course getting his hands dirty).
Miguel PEREIRA
AGROECOLOGY ENTHUSIAST and DIGITAL MARKETER — Viana do Castelo, Portugal
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Miguel (we call him Junior) is a young Portuguese nature lover. After working for some years in Online Marketing in Lisbon, he decided to quit so he could travel Asia, and ended up finding a new calling while participating at Agroecological projects in Vietnam and Thailand, as well as Portugal. He took a PDC near Bangkok and since has attended many workshops and courses on horticulture, agroforestry and agroecology.
He is a huge asset to the Orchard of Flavours project and combines rare qualities: a passion for nature preservation, a great sense of rigour, and an insatiable and enthusiastic willingness to learn. He is our copywriter and works on the digital communication of our garden.
Brian OTTWAY
BOTANIST — Fuseta, Portugal
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Brian studied Botany at the University of Bristol and briefly lectured in plant physiology and ecology in Plymouth. In the 1970s he moved to Galway, where he spent over 30 years as an academic biologist, developing a special interest in algae. After retiring to Portugal, he turned his attention to the study of microscopic fossils — but his lifelong passion for plants has remained central to his work.
At Orchard of Flavours Botanical Garden, Brian provides scientific support across our collection. He proofreads our manuals, answers botanical and ecological questions, and studies our plants in depth to strengthen the scientific foundation of the garden. He is especially skilled at explaining complex botanical ideas in clear, accessible language.
He is currently — by his own admission — somewhat obsessed with leaves.
Gaetan COTTON
SERVICE DESIGNER — London, United Kingdom
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Building on a background in journalism and photography, Gaetan has spent two decades bridging the gap between people and technology. Today, he works as a Senior Service Designer for the UK government and teaches service design for tourism at Brussels University, crafting human-centered experiences that connect the head, heart, and hands.
At the Orchard of Flavours, Gaetan channels this expertise directly into our visitor experience. He helped shape the garden’s visual identity and created the numerous interpretive boards that help discover the garden. Alongside designing our maps, leaflets, and safety signage, his thoughtful work ensures that every visitor can navigate the orchard with confidence and learn at their own pace.
Discover his work on this link: designforservices.com
Big thanks to all the volunteers:
Camilo (Brazil - November 2017), Arif (USA - Nov 2019), Jérôme (Switzerland - July 2019), Pranav (UK - August 2019), Walter (Portugal - September 2019), Bobby (UK - October 2019), Maîté (France - October 2019), Justyne (Australia - November 2019), Frédéric & Alexandra (Canada - November 2019), Damian & Alexandra (Poland - December 2019), Medhi & Anna (Netherlands - February 2020), Luc (Belgium - March 2020), Irina (Germany - May 2020), Hans (Netherlands - July 2020), Brian (Belgium - July 2020), Kate (UK - regular volunteer), Monica & Zé (Portugal - August 2020), Cécile (Portugal - regular volunteer), Julian (Germany - November 2020), Victor & Mike (Sweden - December 2020), Augustino (Germany - December 2020), Janine and Jackson (Germany and Australia - December 2020 - January 2021), Luc (Belgium - May 2021), Yvan and Maria (Ukraine - June 2021), David (France - October - December 2021), Miguel (Portugal - January 2022), Jules (France - January 2022), Christoph & Margarida (Germany & Italy - January 2022), Michael (Canada - December 2022), Luís (Portugal - January 2023), Laura (Brazil - January 2023), Leonardo (Brazil - January 2023), Angela (Belgium - August-October 2024), Micha (Germany - October-December 2024)
Want to work with us?
If you’d like to participate in our project as a volunteer, please email miguel@orchardofflavours.com. Join the long list of enthusiastic helpers who have become an important part of Orchard of Flavours!
Live Nearby? Join Our Wednesday Volunteering Day!
We meet every Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., followed by a potluck lunch with the team. Please send us a WhatsApp message the day before so we know how many volunteers to expect and can plan accordingly.
We look forward to welcoming you!
