The store
Mercado São João is a historic and traditional grocery store, opened in June 1894 in Rua de São João by António Joaquim Cardoso. More than a century later, we find Mr. Manuel at the head of this emblematic house that takes its passion for cod very seriously, selling cod, table wines, port wines, whisky, spirits, liqueurs, preserves, cheeses, sausages, coffee, teas and spices.
History
Founded in 1894 by António Joaquim Cardoso, it was a typical Braga grocery store and an example of resistance and innovation. Years later, José Joaquim Macedo took over, during the Second World War. The grocery store has passed through the hands of five owners, resisting the threat of the large supermarkets and continuing to make a name for itself in traditional commerce.
For a while, it served the purpose of supplying the inhabitants of Braga in exchange for vouchers provided by the Local Trade Regulatory Commissions. Over time, it specialized in selling cod and even created a website. Orders go from Rua de S. João to various parts of the country and abroad, especially to Spain, France and Brazil.
As the years went by, José de Araújo took over the business and kept it going for years, until 1984, when he passed it on to his nephew Jacinto Vilaça, who went into partnership with Manuel Machado. With the death of Jacinto Vilaça in 2019, the store was left to the current owner Manuel Machado, who we still find today cutting the steaks and weighing the goods. Manuel Machado, a grocer by vocation, born and raised in Braga, has been working for over six decades, serving the best and the best to his neighbors and customers.
Like any self-respecting Portuguese grocery store, its century-old shelves are stocked with fine preserves such as Catraio Tuna, Minerva, Pinhais and Good Boy. It also has an incredible wine cellar, full of rare and precious liquids, such as Aguardente Bagaceira Velha from 1974, Companhia Velha from 1970, Licor Eduardino, São João de Anadia wine or the mythical Ginja sem Rival from Lisbon.
On the main counter you can still find the oil and olive oil dispensers, the coffee mill and the traditional scales, just like in the past. A little further up, on the last shelf, there are three boxes of national tea in plaque, illustrated with exotic motifs; perhaps the last existing examples, which as Manuel Machado informs us - "are not for sale."
Products and services
Cod, table wines, port wines, whisky, spirits, liqueurs, preserves, cheeses, sausages, coffee, teas and spices.
Contact
Phone: 253 278 860
Email: mmaraujo1940@gmail.com
