Noélia Sousa was born in Zambujal, in the parish of Boliqueime. Since she was a child, she lived with the art of the palm: while her mother made carrycots and cribs to order, Noélia helped with the palm harvest and played with the unused leaves, until, later, she began to collaborate by making braids that would give shape to the traditional pieces.
As an adult, she emigrated to France, where she worked in the sewing area. Still, the nostalgia for the Algarve’s land and climate spoke louder, leading her to return and open a beach goods store in Portugal.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, she found in the enterprise a creative companion for the days of isolation. After confinement, she had the support of her neighbors to perfect the technique, enthusiastically resuming this ancestral knowledge.
She has been part of Casa da Empreita since the beginning of 2025, where she contributes with enthusiasm to the preservation of this tradition and values conviviality, sharing and continuous learning with the other artisans.
