Tomato Season Brings 300 Factory Jobs Near Lisbon

Portugal’s Tomato Belt Is Recruiting: What Seasonal Workers Need to Know

A summer rush for red gold

Every July, fields along the Tagus estuary turn vivid scarlet as tomato plants ripen almost at once, launching one of Portugal’s most intense agricultural campaigns. This year the rush comes with more than 300 short-term openings at two of the country’s biggest processors, Kagome Foods Portugal in Castanheira do Ribatejo and Fomento da Indústria do Tomate (FIT) in Marateca. The positions—ranging from production line crew to quality analysts and office support—are being filled by the staffing agency Clan on behalf of the HIT Group, the holding company that owns both plants.

Where the jobs are—and why location matters

Castanheira do Ribatejo sits 30 kilometres north-east of Lisbon, just off the A1 motorway, while Marateca lies on the Setúbal peninsula near the town of Palmela. The two sites straddle Portugal’s most productive tomato corridor, an area whose irrigation canals, flat alluvial soils and hot, dry summers have helped make the country Europe’s leading exporter of tomato paste. Because processing factories operate around the clock once the harvest starts, employers traditionally cast a wide net that includes students on break, retirees looking for extra income and expatriates searching for seasonal work.

Roles on offer

Contracts run from late July to October, the period when tomatoes are picked, trucked to the plants, blanched, peeled, sorted and concentrated within hours. Production operators keep the machinery running, warehouse staff manage incoming loads, sorting operators remove damaged fruit, quality-control teams monitor acidity and colour and administrative assistants handle weigh-bridge data and shipment paperwork. Clan says it will accept candidates “from all generations” provided they are legally entitled to work in Portugal and can commit to the full campaign.

Free transport eases the commute

A frequent barrier for temporary workers is the cost of commuting to semi-rural plants. To widen the talent pool, the HIT Group is laying on free buses for anyone assigned to continuous shifts. Pick-ups are scheduled in Montijo, Águas de Moura, Setúbal, Carregado and at the Continente Modelo stop on the EN10 in Alverca, linking directly to the Castanheira factory gate. Staff bound for Marateca can connect via the same network to Palmela and Setúbal.

What foreign residents should expect

Unlike many farm jobs that require strenuous outdoor labour, these positions are almost entirely indoors and pay the nationally agreed food-industry rate, typically above the minimum wage once night-shift and meal allowances are included. Portuguese is the shop-floor language, but English and Spanish speakers are common in quality labs and offices. Non-EU citizens already living in Portugal must hold a valid residence permit; the short duration means companies rarely sponsor new visas. EU passport holders can start work once they have a Portuguese tax number and social security registration, both obtainable at local finance and social-security offices.

Application channels

Clan is accepting digital applications on its website and walk-ins at either factory. Candidates should bring identification, proof of fiscal and social-security numbers and, if relevant, a residence card. Interviews are being scheduled through mid-July, with mandatory safety training taking place a week before the first tomatoes arrive.

Why the work matters

Portugal processes roughly ten percent of the world’s industrial tomato crop, and much of it moves through plants like Kagome and FIT. For newcomers, the campaign is an entry point into the country’s export-driven agri-food sector; for the regions of Ribatejo and Setúbal, it is a lifeline that supports hotels, cafes and transport operators long after the last vats of paste are sealed. As the 2025 harvest approaches, the message from recruiters is simple: if you can give three months, the factories will give you a seat on the bus and a pay-cheque tied to one of Portugal’s most iconic exports.