Two siblings, Jorge and Andreia Ferreira, decided to create a "gourmet" products business. So far nothing out of the ordinary. The novelty is that the company Meia Dúzia produces jams that are packed in tubes of ink. The siblings, both engineers, still want to invest in their own vegetable production to become self-sufficient. For that, they intend to roll up their sleeves and go to the field.
Jorge Ferreira, 38 years old, is a chemical engineer and works in the consultancy area. He likes to paint in his spare time and started to imagine a product that could be sold in the metallic tubes that painters usually have in the studio. Andreia Ferreira, 25 years old, was, when the business was born, a finalist in the food engineering course. Together they created Meia Dúzia, a brand of jams, liqueurs and teas.
This was a way for Andreia to create her own job. She who admits to having always been “very spoiled” by her brother who is now her partner in this new adventure. They started working on the project in February last year and in December they were already launching the first products at the “25th project” store at Fábrica ASA, in Guimarães.
From the garage to the farm in Outiz
The project, which started in a garage in Famalicão, now continues in the small farm of the parents, in Outiz. There, the two brothers are trying to grow some of the vegetables they need. “We are going to invest in the production of red fruits, not least because they are the most expensive raw materials”, says Andreia Ferreira, in a telephone conversation with P3. As Meia Dúzia is a recent company, the two siblings still do not have the resources to hire someone to take care of the agricultural production and will be themselves, with the help of their parents and friends, to get their hands on the land.
All production is national, from the packaging of the product to the selected raw materials. The flavor composition process could not have gone better, as “almost all the final results were achieved on the first try”.
They currently have 26 jams. There is something for all tastes, but forget about the traditional flavors that you usually find on the shelves. The best sellers have been the Rocha pear with Moscatel do Douro and the blueberry with Port Wine and vanilla. But the first choices of the two brothers are different. For Jorge Ferreira, the jam that fills his measures is orange and Madeira wine. Andreia prefers the pumpkin and orange one with almond. The individual package costs 3.90 euros and the "pack" of six jams costs 19.80 euros. However, prices may vary depending on the commercial establishment.
But the Meia Dúzia is not only made of jams. Artisanal liqueurs made from walnut, fig, milk, cherry, lemon or herbs are also available. Five o'clock tea lovers can also be rested. The brand has teas with different blends, such as wild berries and blue cornflower petals, or green tea with mint and roses.
Contest gave them shop in mall
Meia Dúzia won the contest of entrepreneurship launched by Mar Shopping, in Matosinhos. Thus, the company won the right to occupy a store in the shopping center for three to six months (free of charge) and new products will be launched at its opening, scheduled for November.
“We are still deciding how many months we will be there”, says Andreia, who considers it a very favorable way to be “closer to customers, to know the flavors they like the most and what they want us to do in the future”.< /p>
Andreia says they are being “very well received by the public”, which also translates financially. At the moment, the bet Meia Dúzia involves “taking one step at a time” and they have focused on the domestic market, with products in different shops all over the country. However, they have already managed to have their products on sale in stores in Belgium, Germany and Austria. Other proposals are in progress and, soon, the products will also be available in England or the USA.