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PORTUGAL
Mix a passion for crafts together with a great business idea and you get a recipe for success.
In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic forced the world to pause, the communication consultant and event organiser Cláudia Gomes gave space to her creative artisan spirit and founded MINERAL Organic Crafts®, a company that produces eco-friendly, 100 % biodegradable, refillable air fresheners.
In the beginning, the goal was to create souvenirs for small celebrations, but Cláudia soon realised the product had potential for much more. Her husband Paulo Santos, a chemist and project manager in the industrial sector at the time, joined the project as co-founder a year and a half later. Together, they moved MINERAL’s office from the basement in their home to a newly restored atelier in Vila Nova de Gaia, in the Porto district. Innovations on their premises allowed the company to build their team, and the company’s capacity expanded along with its revenue.
Many of these achievements were supported by the Enterprise Europe Network through AEP - Portuguese Business Association, Chamber of Commerce and Industry, a Network partner based in Porto. "The entire Enterprise Europe Network team has been outstanding from the very first moment. They have provided us with several networking opportunities at events and trade fairs, which helped us grow and gain greater recognition and notoriety in the market so we could start exporting our products," said Cláudia Gomes, now CEO of MINERAL Organic Crafts®.
Unlocking opportunities through key events and certifications
The company was able to develop a unique product. The air fresheners are handmade on a small scale, with the entire production carried out by the brand.
Their base is made of ceramic powder, a high-quality plaster made from the mineral gypsum. Floral essences, mineral pigments and preserved natural flowers are manually added to this base, creating passive diffusers that gradually disperse a soft fragrance, certified by the International Fragrance Association. In addition to the standard fragrance, MINERAL Organic Crafts® has recently developed an innovative concept called ‘Blend it – Aromatic Fusion’, which allows customers to fuse other fragrances with the standard one, transforming it into six different scents.
MINERAL Organic Crafts® sells its products for use as home or car diffusers and fragrant floral arrangements – all of which can be ordered as event souvenirs and even personalised as corporate gifts. There is also a range of products related to personal use, which consists of perfumed jewellery and accessories with the brand's fragrance or the customer's own perfume. However, in the beginning, the company needed support to increase and strengthen its partner and customer network.
AEP advised the start-up to participate in trade fairs and matchmaking events, generating brand awareness and establishing new business opportunities. MINERAL Organic Crafts® took part in IDF Spring, a home, decoration and gift event held in Portugal. They also participated in major European events dedicated to interior design, such as the Tortona Design Week in Italy, the Maison&Objet trade fair in France and the Ambiente fair in Germany.
After these exhibitions, potential contacts turned into fruitful partnerships. The company partnered with the Dutch marketplace Faire, making its products available on the e-commerce platform that caters to consumers who choose to support local shops.
AEP also advised and supported MINERAL Organic Crafts® to apply for the Statute of the Artisan and the Craft Production Units in Portugal, which contribute to the regulation and promotion of the arts and crafts sector. The company succeeded in gaining official recognition of its artisan status and craft production from the Crafts Professional Training Centre (CEARTE), certifying its products are 100 % handmade. This certification also allowed the company to obtain the ‘Portugal Sou Eu’ seal, which validates the quality and national origin of the products.
As a result of this recognition, the start-up received several awards for its innovation in sustainability, including the Mobis Award from the Mobiliário em Notícia magazine, the EcoStartup prize from a consortium of Portuguese innovation associations, and another honour from the Portuguese Association of Shopping Centres.
More recently, the company partnered with Topázio, a Portuguese luxury brand of sterling silver and silver-plated products, creating a special collection with pieces dedicated to the Nativity and Mother’s Day. The premium collection, featuring a scented base made by MINERAL Organic Crafts® and a silver and gold-plated silver top crafted by Topázio, was presented at Portojóia, the international fair of jewellery, goldsmithing and watchmaking in Porto.
Rapid growth and global reach
MINERAL was able to increase its annual gross revenue by about 300 % in 3 years and is expecting an annual increase of 50 % in gross sales revenue by the end of 2024. The company exports its products to resellers and corporate clients in various countries, such as Greece, Angola, France, Switzerland, Spain and the United States, while it also ships products directly to end customers worldwide. The team, which started with just Cláudia Gomes and her husband, now has five full-time and two part-time employees, as well as temporary staff who provide sales support at external events and pop-up stores. The next pop-up store is already being prepared and will be opened in one of the main shopping malls in the north of Portugal, MAR Shopping Matosinhos, with Christmas sales in mind.
"As a Network partner, we trusted that MINERAL Organic Crafts® would go far and their outstanding results show how closely we have worked together and how proud we are of them," said Céu Filipe and Susana Pinto, Enterprise Europe Network advisors at the AEP branch.
The company’s goal is to continue expanding and nurturing the relationships with partners and customers by providing high quality, innovative and sustainable products. "To do this, we need resources and contacts that allow us to learn about newly processed and cutting-edge materials, always combining knowledge with the artisanal work we do, creating unexpected fusions between innovation and tradition," stated Cláudia.
To expand its network, MINERAL Organic Crafts® also aims to participate in more international fairs, such as ABCasa in Brazil, Decorex in the UK and Formland in Denmark, and to increase its corporate solutions by attending networking events in Portugal, its largest market. "In all these aspects, I am sure that AEP and the Enterprise Europe Network will be fundamental allies, as they have been so far, and we thank them for all their support," she added.