From the ashes of a devasting plague in the XIX century that dilacerated the rural landscape in Douro, our legend sprout. The plague decimated the vast majority of the vineyards installing despair, hungry and deprivation throughout the region.
The Castello-Branco family roots run deep in this region. The connection with the land, the people and the Douro river encompasses something that is inherited by each of our family members: Commitment. This was achieved through hardship, intense labor from sunrise to sunset in a land that can be as generous as cruel. The vineyards and wine production set the tone to the inception of our wealth right after the plague. Eurico Castello-Branco involved himself later on in the construction of the railway to the Spanish border.
Behind a great man, there’s always a great woman. In 1835, Umbelina Ferreira was immediately attracted to Eurico in a sunny afternoon in September during the works in the vineyards. Soon after, their descendance spread first in the Douro region and afterwards to Brazil and Africa consolidating the family name in different locations. Our legacy endures based on a strong ethos that defines our relation with our country, people and culture. We are still engraved in Douro region but looking to the future and beyond with the same commitment that guide our family for decades.
Helena arrived in Portugal in 1948 from Brazil to visit her Portuguese relatives. It was the first time that she visited the country although hearing countless stories from her father Manuel Castello-Branco. Helena asked to walk around the village near the family estate. People greeted her on sight with a smile and called her by the family name. Intrigued, Helena approached a mid-age woman and asked if she was known. “You may have a different accent but your attitude is the same. You are a Castello-Branco”
Helena never left Portugal again and dedicated her life to support programs to empower women in those hard times. It wasn’t an easy path due to cultural, financial and political factors. Following this example, we have setup a fund that is managed by trustworthy partners in order to maintain our privacy and recess, through which we collaborate in several endeavours that we consider that stand for our values.
Today, our family considers that our attitude is engraved in our DNA and that it must endure.
Our history and the history of our country showed us how an global epidemic can affect all our lives.
We made available to the academic and medical institutions of the region 5000 liters of alcohol to produce hand sanitizer to all the brave professionals that fight on the front line of this crisis on our NHS units.
Thank you to all our employees, their families and the brave men and women the fight this battle for all of us.
