About us

meia.dúzia® an explosion of flavours from Portugal inside a tube

History – the founders…

meia.dúzia® flavours of Portugal is a unique and original concept, number 1 in the world in the production of artisanal jams, chocolate creams, sauces, olive pastes, and honey in tubes.

Created by two siblings and the result of two passions - Portuguese gastronomy and art - the idea of creating meia.dúzia® was born in 2012 at their parents’ home garage in the village where they were born, Outiz-Famalicão. A village in Portugal, north of the famous Douro Valley region and notorious for producing the famous Port Wine.

Andreia, the younger sister of 3 siblings, recently graduated in Food Engineering at a time when Portugal is going through a crisis and having difficulty finding a job, with the help of her brother Jorge, who graduated in Chemical Engineering and is passionate about painting, are inspired in the paint tubes of the world of painting and develop this concept – unique and innovative and create meia.dúzia®- Experiences of Portuguese Flavours in tubes.

The mission was to surprise the world with originality, with a unique and innovative concept to promote and propagate Portuguese flavours and gastronomy of outstanding quality.

The passion for Portugal is in each tube with flavours from each region and unique ingredients, in which each colour representing some fruit, resulting in a palette of colours that resembles tubes of paint but are not - they are surprising flavours of Portugal.

Tradition and irreverence fuse and the best of Portuguese gastronomy is born inside a tube.

Os fundadores da meia.dúzia® sabores de Portugal, Jorge e Andreia Ferreira, com a sua mãe

The name meia.dúzia®…

The brand name meia.dúzia® flavours of Portugal emerges on a visit to the convent of Tibães in Braga - Portugal, in the library of the Monastery, after researching ancient and conventual recipes of typically Portuguese products. It was the perfect name, as it is frequently used in traditional recipes fulfilling the mission of divulging taste experiences thus, the first product was born – a pack of 6 (meia.dúzia) traditional flavours from Portugal.

10 years of meia.dúzia® - the path

Since its creation in 2012, the path of meia.dúzia® and its founders - Jorge and Andreia, went through many conquered hurdles, which brought them success.

Jorge and Andreia spent more than one year trying out recipes and flavours, testing production methods and equipment for the product filling and quality control, to initiate their first production.

The siblings encountered tough times, such as finding the right equipment for the filling, adjusting the production process, and the required investment to start.

They invested all their savings in the equipment and set to work in their parents’ 20 m2 home garage.

The bet on innovation, maintaining the Portuguese identity and appreciation is today a winning bet, despite the risk, the difference, and the break-up with traditional packaging, as shown in the history of the brand created by the two siblings.

Some of the milestones in the company's history in Portugal:

  • Winner of the 9th “Poliempreende IPVC Norte” in 2012
  • Finalists of the Acredita Portugal entrepreneurship contest in June 2013, and the success story and BES Innovation - Acredita Portugal campaign in 2014
  • Finalists of Nutrition Awards 2013
  • Winner of the 5 Years of Life Competition: A Successful Business – promoted by Fundação da Juventude and Mar Shopping in September 2013, with the opening of the official store of the brand meia.dúzia®
  • Entrepreneurs of the Year 2014 by Dinheiro Vivo, Jornal Notícias and Diário Notícias
  • Opening of 1st store in downtown Porto in 2015
  • Finalist of NOS Innovation Award in the SME Category May 2015
  • Winners of the Mercúrio Award – best National Retail Store 2017
  • Opening of 2nd and 3rd store in downtown Porto in 2019
Abertura da primeira loja oficial da meia.dúzia, no Mar Shopping, em Portugal. Um marco histórico para a marca, que produz compotas, cremes de chocolate, méis, azeites e licores. Sabores artesanais e 100% Portugueses.

International Awards – Worldwide recognition

Os fundadores da marca número um no mundo para compotas em bisnaga, Andreia e Jorge Ferreira, a receber um prémio pelo seu trabalho no Salón de Gourmets, em Madrid, Espanha.

Exports to 5 Continents and more than 20 Countries: USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Netherlands, Mexico, Japan, United Arab Emirates, Lebanon, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, South Korea.

What we do….

meia.dúzia® creates and produces Portuguese Flavours experiences, producer of artisanal jams in tubes, dark chocolate creams with 70% cocoa in tubes, honey from Portugal in tubes, sauces, and pastes of Portuguese varieties in tubes, exclusive Portuguese olive oils in tubes, sauces and chutneys in tubes and honey from Portugal in tubes.

The jams in tubes from meia.dúzia® are produced with fruits with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), or with Portuguese Geographical Identification (PGI) or organic fruits grown in Portugal, mixed with Portuguese wines, aromatic herbs, and organic spices.

The result is surprising, unique flavour experiences, from the most exclusive such as Strawberry Jam with Port Wine and Chilli, or the more traditional Portuguese jams - Pumpkin with Honey, Almonds or Port Wine, or Fig and Port Wine jam or, Olive Paste Negrinha do Douro.

Our flavour experiences…

We aim to surprise with the creation of unexpected and unique flavours.

Our experiences use genuinely Portuguese ingredients such as Port Wine, Douro’s Moscatel Wine and Madeira Wine. Pumpkin and Orange with Honey, Cinnamon and Port Wine, Blackberry with Hazelnut and Nutmeg, Rocha Pear and Redcurrants with Melissa and Pink Peppercorns are some of our unique experiences.

Experiências de sabores meia.dúzia com creme de chocolate com laranja em bisnaga

The origin of our raw materials and ingredients…

meia.dúzia® values the quality of the raw materials used in the production of its products, giving preference to fruits from different regions, fruits with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), or fruits which are grown organically, thus supporting local farmers and using only seasonal fruit.

Discover the origin of our fruits

  • Azores Pineapple DOP - São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal
  • Plum “Rainha Claúdia” d´Elvas - Elvas, Portugal
  • Azores Passionfruit DOP - São Miguel Island, Azores, Portugal
  • Fundão Cherry DOP - Fundão, Portugal (CERFUNDÃO)
  • Algarve Orange - Citrinos do Algarve IGP - Algarve, Portugal
  • Madeira Banana - Madeira Island, Portugal
  • Bravo de Esmolfe Apple DOP - Esmolfe, Viseu, Portugal
  • Rocha do Oeste Pear PDO - West Region, Portugal
  • Negrinha do Douro Olives (DOP) - Vale do Douro, Portugal
  • Galega Olives (IGP) - Beira Baixa, Portugal
  • Red Peppers - Póvoa de Varzim, north of Portugal
  • Organic Blueberries and Raspberries - V. N. Famalicão, north of Portugal

Each flavour is the result of a mixture of natural ingredients, the best Portuguese wines (Port Wine, Douro’s Moscatel Wine and Madeira Wine), organic herbs, spices, and dried fruits from Portuguese producers.

Unique concept…

meia.dúzia® - Portuguese Flavours Experience, we provide flavours tasting experiences in packs of meia . dúzia (half a dozen).

With the pack, you can take home meia.dúzia® flavours to taste and enjoy in your own space, peacefully, or offer a friend or loved one a unique experience.

meia.dúzia® - Portuguese Flavours Experience, proporcionamos experiências de degustação de sabores em Packs de meia.dúzia. Com o Pack pode levar casa meia.dúzia de sabores para saborear e apreciar no seu espaço de uma forma tranquila, ou oferecer a um amigo ou quem mais gosta uma experiência única.

Artisanal production…

The fruit jams are handcrafted in productions weighing a maximum of 40 kg, with fruits from various regions of Portugal and seasonal fruits.

Containing more than 55% fruit, without adding additives and preservatives and with a reduced amount of sugar, maintaining and preserving traditional artisanship methods.

Each flavour is the result of mixing natural ingredients, the best Portuguese wines (Port Wine, Douro’s Moscatel Wine, and Madeira Wine), organic herbs and aromatic flowers, and dried fruits from Portuguese farmers.

The fruits and the ingredients mixtures are prepared manually in aluminium pans, in an artisan method, giving rise to flavours that remind us of the jams made by our grandparents.

Mirtilos cultivados em Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal, pela meia.dúzia - sabores de Portugal. Alfazema biológica produzida em Portugal. Um dos ingredientes utilizados na produção dos sabores gourmet da meia.dúzia. Mirtilos cultivados em Vila Nova de Famalicão, Portugal, pela meia.dúzia - sabores de Portugal.

Our original packaging… environmentally friendly

Inspiration comes from the world of painting, oil painting tubes, each colour representing some fruit, an experience of flavour.

In addition to a unique design, the tubes and packaging are ergonomic, easier to use for spreading, are practical, dispense jars, spoons, and spreadable knives, being more hygienic. We can take them to work, school, or on a trip and use them in an original and fun way.

As the tubes are made with about 99% aluminium and opaque, they reduce the exposure of the product to light and air after opening, thus the fruit does not oxidize with light, maintaining the original colour and nutrient properties of the fruit.

They preserve the products for a longer period without the need to use additives and preservatives.

Packaging and Recycling: Our packaging is made with more than 99.7% infinitely recycled aluminium, without losing quality and without having to extract more from Nature. Place in the recycling bin for metals (yellow).

Sustainability and Social Responsibility

Ecology is a thought that has always been present in the production of our flavour experiences and the management of the daily activities of meia.dúzia®. With the evolution of time, we realized the importance of a sustainable mentality, thus our products were designed based on these values. From the raw materials, artisanal production method and packaging to reaching your hands, the environmental impact is reduced. Now you can recycle our tubes and give them a new life.

Our tube jams are differentiated from others, not only by the appealing design of the packaging but also by their content. The fruits, some classified as PDO or PGI, originate from local farmers who cultivate them based on organic farming, as is the case of Blueberries, Blackberries, Passionfruit, and even Aromatic Herbs. This type of agriculture not only improves the quality of the fruits but also reduces the environmental impact.

Our artisanal production method allows us to better control our productions and achieve our quality standards. Manpower, in addition to the sensitivity and special touch that is given to each product, reduces the level of industrialization and consequently, the use of energy sources such as electricity and fossil. Organic waste resulting from raw materials is accumulated and reused for agriculture. In this way, in addition to the socio-economic advantages (increased employability), our production is based on more traditional and ecological methods.

When it comes to the packaging, the case is no different. Although doubts regularly arise and we are questioned by our customers, the truth is that all the elements in our packaging are recyclable. The cardboard packaging that surrounds the tube can be placed in the blue recycling bin and is fully recyclable, as well as the plastic cap that closes the tube, which can be placed in the yellow recycling bin.

What about the aluminium tubes? Although they do not have the same potential for reuse as ordinary glass jars, they can be recycled and given a new life. Did you know that aluminium can be recycled infinitely without losing its quality? The process boils down to melting the metal, which is much less expensive and uses 95% less energy than producing it from scratch. According to some sources, recycling a single aluminium canister can save the energy needed to have a TV switched on for 3 hours. Other advantages are the help in the composition of urban waste, the reduction in the amount of garbage in the sanitary landfills, the reduction of electric energy consumption, and the collaboration in the growth of an ecological conscience.

meia.dúzia® is proud to support these values. From organic farming, a more energy-efficient production, and reuse of materials in logistics tasks to recyclable packaging, our mission is to respect the principles of ecology and sustainable development.

Produção meia.dúzia com ingredientes sustentáveis, nesta foto a azeitona galega, de Portugal.