Revigrés is a Portuguese producer of

ceramic A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant, and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcela ...

wall and floor tiles. It was founded in 1977 by Adolfo Roque (1934–2008), who chaired the company until 2007. The company is headquartered in Barrô,

Águeda Águeda () is a city and a municipality in Portugal. According to the Portuguese 2011 census, the municipality of Águeda had 47,729 inhabitants, in an area of . The city proper had a population of 14,504 (2001 data), while the remainder is distri ...

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...

and it is recognized as one of the largest manufacturers of ceramic coverings in the country. In 2024, Revigrés earned 40 million euros in turnover, exported its products to more than 50 countries and employed approximately 350 people. Revigrés gained significant international visibility through its sponsorship of

Futebol Clube do Porto Futebol Clube do Porto, MHIH, OM (), commonly known as FC Porto or simply Porto, is a Portuguese professional sports club based in Porto. It is best known for the professional football team playing in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Port ...

, which began in 1983. This partnership marked the first instance of a Portuguese company sponsoring a top-division football team in the country.

History

Revigrés was established in 1977 by Adolfo Roque and eleven other partners, following a market study that indicated a significant demand for ceramic tiles and a lack of supply in Portugal. The company commenced production in 1981 and initially focused on the domestic market. However, with the installation of a second production line in the same year, it began exploring international markets, such as

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

Scandinavia Scandinavia is a subregion#Europe, subregion of northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Sweden. It can sometimes also ...

, and

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. In 1986, Portugal's entry into the

European Economic Community The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organisation created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lisbo ...

increased competition in the domestic market, prompting Revigrés to intensify its international expansion.Starting the project in 1993 Portuguese architect

Álvaro Siza Vieira Álvaro Joaquim de Melo Siza Vieira (born 25 June 1933) is a Portuguese architect, and architectural educator. He is internationally known as Álvaro Siza () and in Portugal as Siza Vieira (). Early life and education Siza was born in Matosi ...

designed and built an exhibition and sales hall at the Revigrés factory site. The Revigrés Commercial Building (which includes an exhibition hall, auditorium and offices) was inaugurated in 1997 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Revigrés. In 1999, the company invested 40 million euros to install two manufacturing units dedicated to the production of technical porcelain. This allowed the company to produce ceramics with low water absorption and high durability, suitable for public areas and extreme weather conditions. Adolfo Roque served as the company's leader for 30 years and played a key role in shaping its growth and brand image. He retired from the presidency at the start of 2007, handing over leadership to José Manuel Cerqueira, a mechanical engineer who held a management position in Revigrés between 1988 and 2004. Between 2022 and 2024, Revigrés invested in sustainability and innovation, allocating around 25% of its revenue to research and development. Initiatives included the implementation of a

photovoltaic power plant A photovoltaic power station, also known as a solar park, solar farm, or solar power plant, is a large-scale grid-connected photovoltaic power system (PV system) designed for the supply of merchant power. They are different from most building ...

in 2023, which reduced carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 1,800 tons per year. The company also invested 15 million euros in a new more energy efficient production line equipped with

3D printing 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer ...

and the option to manufacture using

hydrogen Hydrogen is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol H and atomic number 1. It is the lightest and abundance of the chemical elements, most abundant chemical element in the universe, constituting about 75% of all baryon, normal matter ...

External links

Official website of Revigrés

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Revigres Ceramics manufacturers of Portugal Álvaro Siza Vieira buildings Modernist architecture in Portugal Portuguese brands Portuguese companies established in 1977