Five generations of women rooted in the vineyard

Along a rural road surrounded by vineyards in the lands of Fernando Po, Setúbal Peninsula, you will reach the impressive house of Ermelinda Freitas. The wine brand, named after the founder, is one of the most international in the country and has won more than two thousand national and international awards since 1999.

The internationalization of the winery was signed by 70-year-old Leonor Freitas, the most popular face of the company. The inheritance now passes to Joana Freitas, her daughter and Ermelinda’s great-granddaughter, who represents the fifth generation of women at the helm of this wine empire, a rarity in Portugal and in this sector.

“My ancestors are very strong and they gave me this, my mother is a fantastic person. Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be in the middle of vineyards, and I spent my entire trip wanting to go to a winery. “It’s already ingrained in us. I have a brother who works in computer technology and who also works with us,” says Joana Freitas.

A common characteristic of the women of Casa Ermelinda Freitas is their willingness to take risks to acquire new products. As Joana Freitas explains, production expansion is taking place from Fernando Po to Minho and Douro. “We already have a few more different products, we have left the Setúbal region, which is our homeland and where we want to remain very strong, and we have also moved into green wines with the acquisition of Quinta do Minho in Póvoa de Lañoso. “

Douro’s Dream

Since they had already ventured into green areas, they also took the opportunity to fulfill Leonora Freitas’ “dream” of producing wines from the Douro, this “very special region.” “We ended up buying the Quinta de Canivães farm in the Fos Coa area, which doesn’t produce wine yet, but where we already have olive oil,” Joana said.

Olive oil production at Quinta de Canivães “ultimately happened because the farm has four hectares of olive groves.” Once again, Leonor and Joana’s entrepreneurial spirit took over. “Now we are discovering the world of olive oil, which is very interesting to us. The farm gives us fantastic extra virgin olive oil, which we really like,” said Joana Freitas.

Internationally, Casa Ermelinda Freitas has made its epic journey through Europe, as well as the Americas, Africa and Asia. The company exports its products to more than 40 markets around the world, the main ones being England, the USA, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Poland and Brazil. These countries account for more than 75% of exports.

The responsibility for success lies with a motivated and highly professional team, as Joanna praised. “This was an achievement thanks to our excellent team. We have an export seller who always conquers the world. As well as the oenology team, Jaime Kendera and our entire production team. We can match the tastes of our consumers abroad. “

The reward “is the prizes themselves and the fact that consumers like our wines so much.”

Joana Freitas, heiress

Joana Isabel de Freitas Campos, daughter of Leonor Freitas and Armenio Campos, represents the fifth generation of Casa Ermelinda Freitas. He graduated from the Faculty of Management and then postgraduate studies in oenology and marketing. He met his previous generations, his grandmother Ermelinda Freitas and great-grandmother Germana, from whom all the love he feels for the land, the company and the region comes. Their help played an important role in the creation and development of brands well known to the public, such as Dona Ermelinda, Terras do Pó, Quinta da Mimosa and others. He was always present in everything: in negotiations with clients, in work and in making decisions about the future of the company.