Pão de Medronho arrives on the national market by the hand of SONAE MC

Medronho Bread, a product developed by Medronho & Canela – Inovação Alimentar e Nutricional, Unip, Lda, a spin-off from the Polytechnic of Leiria, has just arrived on the national market, the result of a partnership between the company and Sonae MC.

“The efforts to leverage the commercialization of Pão de Medronho for the national market began in 2020, through contacts with Sonae MC. The process was long, but fruitful, allowing us to mature and deepen our knowledge of both entities and build, in a solid way, the relationship that we want to project for the future, not only with Pão de Medronho, but also with other products that incorporate the fruit, on which we are already working,” says Rui Lopes, managing partner of Medronho & Canela.

“At Continente we are always looking for new products that surprise consumers. In the case of this Medronho Bread, not only is the novelty factor very important, but the fact that it is national and has interesting nutritional characteristics makes it even more appealing to the customer,” says Nuno Vital, MC’s Commercial Director.

Arbutus Bread is a rustic and innovative bread with all the components of medronho. The product began to be developed in 2010 and for five years dozens of technical data sheets were formulated until a formula with market viability was found.

After five more years of tests, formulations and trials, with different technologies and food processing industries, Medronho Bread guarantees around 19% antioxidant activity, two nutritional claims, namely source of protein and source of fiber, the presence of various vitamin complexes, all the minerals in medronho, volatile organic compounds, among others, with various nutritional advantages.

Rui Lopes studied Tourism and Hotel Management at the Escola Superior de Turismo e Tecnologia do Mar (ESTM), Nutrition and Dietetics at the Escola Superior de Saúde (ESSLei) and the master’s degree in Quality Management and Food Safety at ESTM, both schools of the Polytechnic of Leiria. He is currently a lecturer at ESSLei, on the Higher Professional Technical Course (TeSP) in Healthy Eating, and a researcher at CiTechCare (Center for Innovative Care and Health Technology), also at the Polytechnic of Leiria.

At the beginning of 2021, he created the company Medronho & Canela – Inovação Alimentar e Nutricional, Unip., Lda, a spin off from the Polytechnic of Leiria, to leverage the Pão de Medronho project, and to embody other food and nutritional innovation projects that are underway with research centers and companies.

“This is another hugely successful case that perfectly reflects the strategic identity of the Polytechnic of Leiria, a public higher education institution without walls, which puts knowledge at the service of society.

We have a graduate of ours who was resilient, invested in knowledge, was supported by our professors, researchers, two research centers and two universities, and now sees this investment recognized by the success of the Polytechnic of Leiria spin-off Medronho & Canela – Inovação Alimentar e Nutricional, Unip. Lda, taking Pão de Medronho from the north to the south of the country,” says Rui Pedrosa, president of the Polytechnic of Leiria.

May 24, 2022