Origins (1890–1950) The origin of the company date back to the beginnings of the beverage sector industrialization, during the second half of the nineteenth century, when, on 7 March 1890, CUFP (Companhia União Fabril Portuense das Fábricas de Cerveja e Bebidas Refrigerantes) was formed. This conglomerate can be considered the mother of the current beverage company, with the initial capital of 125,000
escudos (former Portuguese currency), which is roughly €623. Of the seven factories that have joined this project, some were already several decades old.
Nationalisation and creation of Unicer (1975–1980) In the Portuguese revolutionary period (that came after the
Carnations Revolution), CUFP was nationalised on 30 August 1975. In December 1977, the State restructured the sector, combining the five nationalized companies into two,
Centralcer, and
Unicer – União Cervejeira (gathering CUFP, Imperial and Copeja). In 1988, by the Decree-Law No. 353/88, Unicer was transformed into "Public Limited Liability Company with a majority public capital" with the designation
Unicer – União Cervejeira, SA. Productivity has more than trebled between 1979 and 1989, and by the end of the decade, Unicer beer sales exceeded the 300 million liters. It was also during this period that Unicer started a consistent focus on exporting exceeding, in 1983, a million liters of beer exported, and over 4 million liters in 1988. In 1990, the year the company celebrated its centenary, the privatization was completed, with the sale of the 51% stake that was still held by the State. Over the 1990s, Unicer continued to invest in
technological modernisation in all its sectors, in productivity expansion, in rationalization and expansion of the distribution network and in rejuvenation of brands and corporate image.
Super Bock expanded its popularity, participating in major events such as the most emblematic Portuguese summer festival
Super Bock Super Rock, whose first edition took place in 1995;
EXPO'98 In 1992, Unicer started to produce and market the Danish brand
Carlsberg in Portugal.
Restructuring (2000–2005) In 2000, the core of Unicer shareholders, along with Viacer holding company, launches a
public takeover bid, and gets to hold the totality of the capital, except for the shares of the company in itself. By the end of 2000, it was formalized the change of name from
Unicer – União Cervejeira, SA, to
Unicer – Bebidas de Portugal, SA. A year later, the company changed its legal status, becoming a
holding company and rearranging and empowering the various business units. In 2000, Unicer entered the coffee sector, with the acquisition of the shares of the company A Caféeira, S.A., In 2002, the purchase of VMPS – Vidago, Melgaço and Pedras Salgadas and their integration into Unicer,
New model of Governance (2006) In June 2006, there is a change in Unicer governance, and the operational leadership started to be performed by the chief executive officer, a position entrusted to
António Magalhães Pires de Lima. Years later, concerning the beer business, a core business, there was a concentration of all of the production in Leça do Balio, where, in 2012, began the construction of a new factory with a capacity of 450 million liters, designed according to the foresight of the company's activity for the next twenty years. This emphasis on centralization and development of this production center represents an investment amounting to €100 million. In July 2013, António Pires de Lima leaves the position of chairman of the Executive Committee of Unicer, to accept the office of
Minister of Economy. He was replaced by João Abecasis.
125 years Unicer (2015) Unicer celebrated its 125th birthday on 7 March 2015, in a ceremony presided over by President of the Republic,
Aníbal Cavaco Silva. The celebration coincided with the inauguration of the new industrial complex at Leça do Balio, part of the new warehouse, the headquarters building and the Beer Production Centre, in an investment of €100 million. The Beer Production Centre stands out by combining new equipment, technologically superior, and a greater production capacity. The new warehouse is a fully
automated infrastructure with an
electric car circuit with direct connection to the factory and where you can store 40,000 pallets and move 12,000 pallets daily. Also the new headquarters, inaugurated in September 2014, includes an outer plate (System Thermal Insulation and Acoustic) which reduces about 30% of energy consumption.
Sustainability was a major concern in this work, and very positive indicators were achieved. In the new production plant and filling it was reduced by 23% the consumption of electricity; 12% water consumption; and 34% thermal energy consumption. But the new building is now in the process of obtaining LEED certification regulations that covers a set of design criteria, construction and operation of buildings in an environmentally sustainable manner. a work written by professor Gaspar Martins Pereira, journalist Júlio Magalhães wrote the foreword. == Internationalisation ==