“It could be a guided visit to a museum, but it is an unexpected tour of discovery through Portuguese factories with so many stories to tell. Catarina Portas will present us with the main characters of this story, which is still currently being written day after day. Fabrico Nacional will let us know when, how and why a business was born, how it survived the vicissitudes of world history and personal heritage, how it adjusted over time, and how it tackles the current global market.”
Between May 2017 and January 2018, RTP broadcasted a documentary series comprising 16 episodes and presented by Catarina Portas, the mind behind A Vida Portuguesa. In each of those 25-minute episodes the doors to factories where the best Portuguese products are made would open for the audience to learn about the physical structures, technologies, practices, but above all the people (and families) who are committed to them and who make up their fundamental core.
Some of those brands can be found in our stores (Gorreana, Arcádia, Couto, Renova, Paupério, Bayard and Viarco, among others) and some can’t, but it is really worthwhile to get to know them all.
Every episode from the two seasons is available via both the site and the app of RTP Play. We recommend that during the period of confinement you revisit the series at https://www.rtp.pt/programa/episodios/tv/p34307.
As Portuguese brands face some of their most difficult times and greatest challenges, it is even more critical to learn about the stories of the brands that stand for the best Portuguese businesses have to offer, from the most traditional to the most innovating.