Qual House
That's right! In June 2000, Qual House began its journey. Portugal was awakening to a new gastronomic era.
It was the first generation of national and international chefs aspiring to become Head Chefs in Portugal—a title that, at the time, was still far removed from the national culinary landscape. This new wave of professionals needed products that were difficult to source in the Portuguese market, and Qual House positioned itself as a company specialising in high-end products for this emerging generation. Initially, we focused on French products, as France was the leading force in global gastronomy at the time. Shortly after, we expanded to include Spanish products when Spain rose to prominence on the international stage. Finally, in 2020, we incorporated Asian products, which were becoming increasingly influential worldwide. This year, we are excited to fill a gap in our portfolio with the introduction of Italian products, completing our offering of key ingredients from the world’s great cuisines—all while staying true to our commitment to quality and differentiation.
At the end of last year, we had the privilege of adding another prestigious global brand to our portfolio, this time in the world of pastry: Valrhona, the renowned name in cocoa and chocolate.
We believe that products have no nationality—they are simply defined by their quality, whether better or worse and we strive to select those of the highest quality. We seek out renowned producers from varying origins who prioritise respect for the product, the environment, animal welfare, and professional and social best practices. These are producers who uphold excellence and continuously pursue it.
At Qual House, our clients are our first and foremost priority in everything we do. Every day, we wake up and go to bed thinking about how we can provide them with a better experience. What can we improve to ensure each client feels increasingly satisfied and regards us as their best business partner? Fortunately, our past shows that, year after year, hundreds of clients honour us with the opportunity to serve them. However, we are keenly aware that if we lower our guard, everything we have built could disappear. That’s why we are constantly challenging ourselves to exceed expectations and become better each day.
This year, as we celebrate our achievements, we recognise that the challenges we’ve faced will continue to grow more complex and global. New technologies will undoubtedly play a crucial role in ensuring the success we’ve built over the years. With this in mind, we believe it is the perfect moment to pass the torch to a refreshed management team—one that has been carefully prepared and equipped with the skills needed to lead Qual House into the future.
In 2025, our clients will see new faces, and we are confident that satisfaction with Qual House will only continue to grow. We are making significant strides to enhance our logistics operations, adopting state-of-the-art technologies and modern management tools to ensure a seamless experience. In the administrative and financial departments, we are refreshing the team while retaining the invaluable expertise of long-standing members who bring deep knowledge and consistency to their roles. In our commercial and purchasing teams, the structure remains the same, but over the past two years, we have strengthened our sales force with individuals who are fully dedicated to delivering outstanding service and exceeding our clients’ expectations. We believe these changes will be good news for our clients, and we look forward to making 2025 a year full of energy and professional success.
In a year when Try Me will not take place due to its biennial schedule, we remain committed to staying actively engaged in the national gastronomic calendar. Try Me is our flagship communication event, where we bring together many of our suppliers, offering clients the opportunity to sample hundreds of products in one location, all on the same day. While it won’t happen this year, we will participate in some of the most notable events on the national agenda. We will have an individual presence at WAFF, along with appearances by several of our partners. Naturally, as you can see in this article, we are once again featured in the pages of Facefood Mag.
In February, we will attend the Mesa Marcada Awards Ceremony alongside our partner Kingfish, showcasing the exceptional Hamachi—a fish that continues to make waves in the culinary world due to its outstanding qualities and sustainability. Furthermore, we are proud to support the reissue of the first edition of Chefs sem Reservas by journalist Nelson Marques, a book that achieved remarkable success.
Our ongoing quest for new partnerships and products will remain a priority throughout 2025. This year, we’ve already welcomed a prestigious addition to our portfolio: El Capricho. Known worldwide among meat lovers, El Capricho is a true temple of beef, where José Gordón carefully raises and ages the finest cattle. At an unforgettable feast, we had the opportunity to savour delicacies such as aged sirloin tartare, 180-day-aged ox carpaccio, cured ox tongue, cured rib cuts, and presa cured to perfection—just to name the highlights. We ended the experience with a Frisian ox striploin aged for an incredible 200 days! Now, thanks to the representation and distribution agreement we’ve established with Cárnicas El Capricho, these magnificent cuts are available in Portugal through Qual House.
More exciting names and partnerships are on the horizon as we continue to attend international fairs and events, always in pursuit of the products our clients need to elevate their culinary offerings to the next level.
We count on you! Count on us!
