Doing business on the Azores will have to take its geographic positioning and limited logistical options into account, including limited dimensions for regular mail packages.
If it involves piece goods, what you would like to import and export must either be expensive and small enough to send by air freight, or it is not dependent on speed and small enough to transport by regular mail. And otherwise, it must actually have a certain volume right away that can be transported with at least a (rented if necessary refrigerated) 20ft container.
Specifically, you would then have to have back and forth employment for a container at all times to be cost efficient. And that is a real challenge. This is where many initiatives stall in advance, because the Azores are not very focused on production of any scale of anything at all.
” The Azores are 2 hours closer to the US than most of the EU, and for that reason would be an interesting fallback for companies exporting to the U.S.”
From a business perspective, the beauty of the islands in this is immediately its weakness. Due to their isolated location, the islands have always and above all been focused on subsistence food production, otherwise there is not much of added value, compared to the mainland, that can actually compensate for the distance (and transportation costs).
Activities on the islands in the tourism industry have a better chance of success, especially as an outsider you sometimes have a better understanding of what tourists come for, but this type of activity is in its nature always cyclical and sentiment sensitive, so you can only build on it economically to a limited extent.
It is advisable to take this into account during a restoration. Properly equipped roof tiles for this purpose, cementing the joints of the lava rock, good rain drainage, double glazing and exterior shutters are easy (safety) provisions to consider, especially if you are going to incorporate large glass doors and windows for the view.
Well-intentioned initiatives have certainly been deployed, including on Terceira, but as yet have not really taken off. On the Azores there is indeed desire to develop this further, but here a multitude of other silent barriers still stand in the way of solid development.
On Terceira, the Azores still has a U.S. military base around the airport in Lajes. Activities there have long been scaled back and minimized. But recently new budgets have been allocated, for necessary investments. Increased military presence also offers opportunities, of course, but in its orientation also remains dependent on the political situation and sentiments.
