The beverage company that has been an icon in the Azores for over a century

For most Portuguese, talking about soft drinks brings to mind afternoons at the beach, barbecues, sun, and heat, “sponsored by some drink,” as we hear Fúria do Açúcar sing every summer. Sweetness is part of this story, but it’s far from being about just any drink, or one wouldn’t be called Especial.
“When you talk about Melo Abreu, people undoubtedly think of Especial beer, but it’s not our only star product,” says Margarida Cristino, head of production.
She recalls one of the moments when she realized the importance of what was done at the factory for the Azoreans. It happened when she received a visit from the commercial director of Coca-Cola Iberia in the context of one of the annual audits to which Melo Abreu was subject when bottling the multinational’s products. Margarida clearly remembers the question the director had prepared.
“The first thing she asked, sitting here at this table, was what exactly Laranjada was and how, in São Miguel, it sold more than Coca Cola,” she describes.
Even though the multinational’s sales have already surpassed the regional strength, Laranjada is still the item with the highest sales volume in the factory, a phenomenon with a secret even better kept than that of the iconic Coca-Cola.
Margarida only reveals that it is essential to rigorously respect the stages of the manufacturing process and guarantee the quality of the raw materials. “This is the only way to maintain the product’s success over so many years,” she says.


Several flavors have passed through the shelves and counters under the Melo Abreu label, but 131 years ago, when it all began, something much simpler accounted for a large part of the factory’s sales volume: ice. Margarida explains that the high demand was most likely due to the scarcity of electricity and the difficulty preserving food at the end of the 19th century when the factory opened.
If something so simple today, like preserving food, was a challenge at the time, opening a beer and soft drinks factory was even more so. One of the biggest obstacles to starting up was finding a qualified workforce. To guarantee the quality of the product, João de Melo Abreu gathered specialists from various countries where there is a tradition of brewing beer, such as Belgium and Germany, and bringing them to the Azores. Moving with their families, they helped open and maintain the factory. Many of their descendants still live here, says Margarida.
“Mr. João de Melo Abreu had the vision to bring in the best equipment and technicians to work on it. He had everything he needed to get off to a good start,” she says, looking at the portrait of the founder in the meeting room.
For Margarida, the workers played a major role in the factory’s success when it started and continue to do so today. “From my experience at Melo Abreu over the last 26 years, the secret to the company’s longevity is its people. Great products and great brands help, but they can’t be made without people. The most important thing is the team and the resilience it has shown over the years, despite the difficulties.”
The pandemic brought the most recent challenge in this cycle of ups and downs. Although the company’s largest sales volume is directed at the food channel, namely supermarkets, the closure of hotels and restaurants has slowed much of the factory’s production. However, as Margarida explains, the process has never stopped. “Beer is brewed using yeast, a living mechanism that can’t be allowed to die. This meant that we had to always produce, even at our lowest levels. If we stopped working at 100%, starting again was much more difficult,” she explains.


Once this phase was over, the factory resumed full activity with a growing demand for its various items beyond the Azores. “Consumers in mainland Portugal are among those who request our products the most. I’ve lost count of the messages asking for Kima Maracujá, Especial, and Laranjada,” confesses Nicole Raposo, the company’s marketing manager. “They come here on vacation, try it and like it. When they return home, they often look there and can’t find it. We haven’t managed to do that yet, but that doesn’t mean we won’t get there one day, ” Margarida adds.
Melo Abreu products are only available in mainland Portugal, the United States, and Canada specialty stores. Although demand is growing worldwide, exporting is still not profitable.
More than a century later, insularity continues to prove a challenge, especially about maritime transport, with the high costs it entails and the constraints that cause delays or even cancellations in delivering goods being the main culprits, Margarida stresses. “I’m guessing this isn’t just felt in the Azores but on all the islands that depend almost exclusively on sea transport. It greatly limits industrial activity, and it’s a huge challenge to change that,” she says.
This doesn’t stop them from dreaming bigger and wanting to continue innovating while always respecting tradition and consumer expectations. Nicole says that this year, as in 2023, the Christmas labels are already being prepared. Margarida also hints at what the new year might bring: “We’ve been in talks, and there might be something new, either in terms of diversifying the flavors or another range of soft drinks parallel to the one we have.” Curiosity remains in the air, and the unique taste of Melo Abreu drinks, which promise to maintain their special Azorean flavor, remains in the glasses.

From Marca Açores (Made in the Zzores) in Açoriano Atlântico-Paula Gouveia, director