Carlos Gonçalves was a 16-year-old kid with no opinions about management when he decided his future was to work alongside his father in the company. He has been at Mendes Gonçalves e Filhos, LDA since 1982, starting with a product that was anything but conventional: fig vinegar made from the fruit produced by local farmers.
While originality opens up new opportunities, it also implies added battles: the national and international consumers have proven that Mendes Gonçalves has made the right choices in defining and conquering new markets every step of the way.
Today the company champions an enterprising, bold and resourceful outlook to make it stand out from the rest through its global strategy.
Obtaining the fruits of one’s labour requires hard work but Mendes Gonçalves strives to make the seemingly impossible happen and sets audacious challenges for its future. Carlos Gonçalves likes to broaden the horizons of his pride in being Portuguese, creating and developing his own products and brands of the highest quality and with a generous dose of creativity, not hesitating to run risks to achieve his targets: the goal is to make Paladin, Creative and Peninsular benchmark brands all over the world, and trademarks the Portuguese communities can identify with. These three brands complement each other and have been a success both in the local market and abroad. In the words of Carlos Gonçalves "we are permanently seeking something different, something innovative, whether it’s in the product, in the packaging or in the combination of flavours and aromas."