Our history

Founded on 30/10/1985 by brothers Jorge Ribeiro and Cândido Ribeiro and their parents, Maria Raposo and António Ribeiro, it has remained a family business to this day.

Ribeiros is a company committed to excellence, offering high quality products and services, with a focus on trust, punctuality and personalized service.

30-10-1985 – Company founded

By the brothers Mr. Jorge Ribeiro and Mr. Cândido Ribeiro and also by their parents, Dª. Maria Raposo and Mr. António Ribeiro, with registered office in the Municipality of Seixal. Small establishment in Pinhal de Frades in the form of a mini-market and bagged cereal and feed trade. There were 4 employees and 1 vehicle for distributing and transporting goods to the store.

1986 – New name

The company's name was changed to "Ribeiros Comércio e Indústria de Cereais, Importação e Exportação, Lda." The aim was to buy cereals in bulk, which were then cleaned and bagged. Thus began an industrial phase, albeit very embryonic.

1994 – Fernão Ferro industrial activity

As the business grew, this industrial activity was transferred to Fernão Ferro, an area made up of houses and two warehouses. In this unit, cereals were cleaned and bagged and the manufacture of simple cereal mixtures for ornamental birds and farm animals began. The workforce increased to 10 employees and they had 3 commercial vehicles. For the first time, a saleswoman was hired, initiating a new approach to the cereals and poultry mixes market. A retail and wholesale outlet was opened, then called Shop 1.

1998 – New company

With the need to expand the business of bulk raw materials for the manufacture of animal feed, the owners of Ribeiros, SA, decided to create a new company, "Ribercer Transportes, Lda", dedicated to the transportation of raw materials both nationally and internationally.

2001 – Factory in Beja

With very favorable and encouraging developments for the future, there was a growing need to vary the market in the production of animal feed (rations), which had previously been marketed through external manufacturing. A new investment was made with the acquisition of a feed factory in Beja, continuing the strategy of growth in key geographical areas of this sector of activity. It was later prepared for the direct sale of products manufactured in the unit as well as those manufactured in Fernão Ferro. A second retail space was opened in Beja, thus creating Shop 2.

2008 – Nova Ideal

With the need to increase the share of the feed market and respond to market demands, a commercial brand, "NOVA IDEAL", was acquired. This increased the number of customers and consequently the volume of sales. The work of the sales staff began to come under greater pressure, given the wider range of products they had to offer their customers.

2009 – A Giant Step

The Fernão Ferro factory began to fall short and the management came under pressure to obtain the required certifications, not least because the industrial activity had undergone enormous progress. A giant step of strategic continuity was taken – the purchase of a new space with some partly built and very well located infrastructures in the Municipality of Montijo, for the installation/transfer of the factory and all the administrative, operational, technical and logistical support.

2011 – Rivers in Spain

The offices, which until then had been housed in adapted dwellings, were moved to this new space, where comfort and operability were significantly improved. At this stage, a new area was also created for direct sales and wholesale retail, Shop 3. The sales force was increased with the addition of another salesperson. With the good performance of the international bulk raw materials business, it was decided to set up a new company, this time in Spain, under the name "Ribeirotrans, S.L.".

2012 – Brand facelift

With a view to expanding its reach and presence in the national market, a new store was inaugurated, this time in Estremoz, with Store 4, already with the characteristics of an Agricultural Store, being another step towards gaining market share in a diversified way in the region and products catalogued. This phase also saw a facelift with a radical change in the corporate image and packaging, giving it a fresher look that is more adapted to the market.

2013 – Sociedade Anonima (S.A.)

For strategic management reasons, the company's name was changed to Sociedade Anonima (S.A.).

2014 – Change of registered office

Recognizing the potential presence and market in the Municipality of Montijo, both in terms of expansion possibilities and its position on communication routes close to freeways, the Vasco da Gama Bridge, Lisbon, etc., the head office was moved to the Municipality of Montijo.

2016 – Farm Shop

Business growth continues to be sustained and consolidated, and the company is taking another step towards expansion. It acquires a new area in Montijo, close to its head office, which it intends to develop into a large agricultural store, Store 5, focused on retail distribution, as well as sustained growth in the wholesale sector for the region's traders. To date, the company has 67 employees with a growth of 15 jobs in the last two years, actively contributing to job creation in the region. It is also supported by 15 vehicles that ensure the distribution of its production.

2019 – New production unit

A new large-scale technological project increases production capacity several times more than at present, resulting in efficiency for everyone involved, both in terms of the environment and energy, as well as the possibility and multiplicity of variety in production and ways of placing it on the market, adapting every moment and season to the needs detected in consumption. This new production unit involves financing from the main banks, which has never been seen before, with a projected breakeven of 8 to 10 years.

2020 to 2022 – Delays

The construction of the new plant has been greatly delayed due to the strong impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, paralyzing some work and the supply of robotic and technological equipment for supply, production, storage and shipping.

2023 to 2024 – Intelligent Warehouse

In 2023, even partial production and testing began at the new unit. In the second half of 2024, we will enter full production capacity, inaugurating the intelligent and fully robotized Warehouse, requiring only human intervention in the final part of shipping, not dissociated from technology. In any case, there is still plenty of room to increase production if we want to capture new international markets for the products produced here.