100 years of Ach. Brito

Since 1918 producing the best soaps and perfumes

The beginning It was in 1918 that Achilles de Brito and his brother Affonso de Brito created, in the city of Porto, their soap and other perfumery company, Ach. Brito. The Brito family’s journey in the world of fragrances began several years earlier, with the collaboration of Achilles de Brito at Claus & Schweder, initially as an accountant and years later, in 1908, as a partner of the company (Claus & Schweder was the first Portuguese soap and perfume factory, also founded in Porto).

Due to World War I and the German nationality of the founders, Achilles de Brito was involved in the nationalization process of Claus & Schweder, which would eventually be sold. In 1917 Achilles de Brito left the company permanently and it was then, in 1918, that the Brito brothers decided to found Ach. Brito.

The route With solid knowledge acquired during the passage through Claus & Schweder and with an entrepreneurial vision, Achilles de Brito started the path of Ach. Brito with firm steps and in 1925 acquired Claus & Schweder, thus continuing the current luxury brand of Ach. Brito, to Claus Porto

In the company’s first years, several successful products were launched, some of which are still on the market today, such as the Luxo-Bath brand registered in 1927, the Patti and Lavanda brands both registered in 1929, the Triple Alfazema brand registered in 1932, the trademark Musgo registered in 1939, among several others.

Innovative from the start, Ach. Brito has stood out from an early age for the quality of its formulas and for the beauty and visual detail of its packaging. The labels were originally hand-painted, which gave them an even more special character, clearly distinguishing them in the world of perfumery.

The slogan used in that period, «It doesn’t make better or so good!», demonstrates the success of the company, which, over the years, has been gaining notoriety and collecting national and international awards. This recognition led the company to create its own lithograph in 1953, not only producing packaging for its brands but also labels for other well-known companies such as Tabaqueira, Sandman, Real Companhia Velha, Porto Calem, among several others. With the creation of the lithograph, the production process is entirely carried out at Ach’s facilities. Brito: from manufacturing, to labeling, to product packaging.

The restructuring With the rise of modern distribution in the 1980s, Ach’s market was choked off. Brito and the company went through a particularly difficult time. In 1994, Achilles de Brito’s great-grandchildren, the brothers Aquiles and Sónia Brito, decided to acquire the entire company and began a deep restructuring in order to keep up with the demands of the market. The strategy was redefined, the product portfolio reorganized and the brands repositioned. With the new strategy, the Ach. Brito is now aimed especially at the domestic market, adding several brands, such as Lavender, Patti, Luxo-Bath, among others. To stand out from the competition and large multinationals, the company preserves the production process in accordance with traditional methods, continues to develop quality formulas created from the best raw materials and maintains care and rigor with the aesthetics of packaging . There is a bet on quality over quantity. Since then, Ach. Brito was recovering the prestige and vigor of other times and conquering its space not only in the national market but also abroad.