Innovation, entrepreneurship and socio-environmental commitment

Innovation, entrepreneurship and socio-environmental commitment are characteristics that define Grupo Telles. Five generations mark the history of the oldest company still operating in Brazil, maintained by the same family for over a century and a half.

It all began in 1843 with the arrival of Portuguese Dario Telles to Brazil, who brought with him a ceramic still with which, installed in the city of Maranguape, he started the production of sugarcane brandy in 1846, on a farm in the region.

Starting in 1895, the second generation of the Telles family took control of the company and modernized the production process. It is thus how his father named his eldest son as his successor.

Paulo Campos Telles, starting in 1924, took great responsibility for undertaking a series of innovations in the productive process of sugarcane brandy. His mission achieved success and international recognition, as it was under his management, more precisely in 1968, that the company made the first export of sugarcane brandy from Brazil to Germany. Paulo Campos Telles is also responsible for the bottling of the drink in liters and the use of the doser (shot glass), as well as the involvement in balsam oil. Always ahead of his time, Paulo Campos Telles drove once more to print his brand in the adoption of bottling mechanisms and to spread the brand in the national and international market.

As the eldest son and fourth generation of the Telles family, Everardo Telles consolidated the legacy left by his father. Beginning in the 1970s, he spearheaded the company’s most significant period of expansion and diversification. Under his leadership, the Group not only increased production but also expanded into seven distinct sectors: mineral water, ethanol, livestock, agriculture, paper packaging, and entertainment. With headquarters in Fortaleza’s Messejana neighborhood, Grupo Telles has made cutting-edge technology and unwavering commitment to quality the cornerstones of its operations across all business segments.

In August 2012, Everardo Telles sold the alcoholic beverage business to a multinational corporation that leads the global premium spirits market. This strategic move marked the beginning of a new chapter for Grupo Telles, which has since ventured into innovative areas including agricultural defensive products and probiotics research, while continuing to develop its existing portfolio.