Portugal’s Health Food Chain Celeiro Dieta

Three family business ventures in the hands of one family: the family Lobo do Vale runs a health food wholesale business with importing called Dietimport, and under the name Celeiro Dieta it has both health food stores and restaurants in three big towns in Portugal. The enterprise was founded by Pedro Lobo do Vale in 1974 and can therefore look back over more than 31 years.

Picture: Celeiro Dieta

Three generations work in the business: the grandparents, the parents and the two sons Goncalo and Tiago. The two firms employ a total of 250 people, with 30 working in the wholesale company.

“We are in the process of renovating our 18 health food shops and two macrobiotic self-service restaurants and giving them a new design”, Goncalo Lobo do Vale (picture) explains. Despite being only 25 years old, he is one of the managing directors and is responsible for the stores operations, and the launching of new stores. A new logo and image for the firm has been created in green, white and yellow, combined with a wave formation that has higher recognition value and is also indicative of a modern approach. Three quarters of the stores have already been remodelled, and the four that are left will undergo the same process in the coming months. In 2005, three new stores were opened; in 2006 one store was opened, another was extended and several have been renovated. Two-thirds of the stores are located in shopping centres.

Opening more new stores is still on the agenda, provided suitable locations can be found. The young businessman is confident: “We are currently experiencing strong growth of 10 % - 20 %, so it makes sense to open more stores.”

Dietimport supplies most of the wholefood stores and health food shops in Portugal with predominantly imported products. Goods are delivered to 500 retail addresses, 200 restaurants, supply services and department stores belonging to the Spanish El Corte Ingles Concern and the chain Continente.
With 6500 articles, the range is really extensive. Many German suppliers are also involved: both the classic health food firms Granovita, Vitam, Fauser Vitaquell and Rabenhorst, and the wholefood companies Lavera, Logona, Pema, Lubs, Lammsbräu, Viana/Tofutown and Demeter Food Crops with TK.
The high number of articles is attributable to the many preparations, vitamins and food supplements to be found on the shelves. These products account for the biggest part of turnover. The food sector, that includes a variety of soya products, milk products and a small selection of pre-packed fruit and vegetables in a chilled section, accounts for 55 % of turnover. Bakery products come from a bakery in Portugal and from Pema (wholemeal bread) in Germany.

In the spring of 2006, loyalty cards were introduced for the customers of Celeiro Dieta’s health food shops and they have been very well received. When the value of goods purchased reaches € 200, customers are given a voucher for 6.5 %. “The card has started very well and we are getting about 100 new applications every week,” Goncalo de Vale is delighted to report. Up to now, more than 4000 cards have been issued. Customers have also welcomed the discount vouchers that can be cut out of the company’s magazine (picture) ‘Sentidos’ (‘Pathways’). For example, there is a 50 Cent voucher for organic soya margarine and this, of course, reduces the price of the article. For 750 g of muesli, there is a voucher for 75 Cents.

The largest and oldest Celeiro Dieta store and the headquarters of the company are located in a side street (off the Dom-Pedro Square in Rossio) in Lisbon’s very busy city centre. The approximately 200 m² shop is on the ground floor. You go up stairs to a gallery with a wide selection of health literature, eco-friendly products, candles, brushes and gift articles. In the basement is one of the two self-service restaurants, seating 80, with the lunch hour being the busiest period.

Celeiro Dieta sells everyday items like olive oil, noodles and eggs (mostly organic) under its own label. Organic food constitutes about 50 % of the range in the food sector.