Port Consumption Up During Pandemic & Producers Making PPE and Other Health Stuff

[Andy Velebil]

The Symington's have stated an increase in sales of 40% and now TFP have stated sales up 241,000 bottles. Shelter-In-Place means people are consuming more Port.

Also...

Adrian told db, “Meanwhile, we are also making alcohol based gel for various hospitals and our hotel Infante Sagres is housing front line medical staff who do not wish to return to their families after working all day at the hospital.

Very nice of them to do this.

TFP article
https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2020/ ... -lockdown/

Symington article
https://www.thedrinksbusiness.com/2020/ ... heir-jobs/

[John M.]

The Hotel thing is excellent! Keeps people safe, gets the community well faster (good for biz) and the hotel will be empty anyway. Keeps all the hotel workers employed, you can write off the loss and it is the right thing to do. KUDOS!

AND it gives me a good excuse to support them by buying some of their Port. Everyone wins!!

[Andy Velebil]

I just saw the Symington's have made 10,000 liters of Antiseptic Alcohol Solution and are distributing it to various hospitals in the north of Portugal.

While I know not every company has the resources to do things along the line of what SFE and TFP are, I do think it's important to recognize those companies that do. If any of you hear of things being done by a Portuguese producer, from any region of Portugal, please post it here in this thread or send (PM, email, FB, etc.) the info to me so I can post it.

[Phil W]

Major respect to companies making the effort to take this kind of action to help when they can. Great job.

[Andy Velebil]

I've edited the title to reflect the making of PPE and other medical/sanitation things so it encompasses all efforts.

[Bert VD]

i don't know about other port companies but i can add that quite a few of brewers and distillers here in Belgium are doing the same.
some hotels are taking in homeless because the normal shelters -with big dorms- are to dangerous
fashion companies are sewing masks, event companies make plexi screens to protect cashiers in supermarkets and pharmacies as well as plexi face screens.

i know they are all trying to minimise losses but i can only applaud the way they do it!

[Moses Botbol]

The sense of community and patriotism is a wonderful thing. Good for them!

[Andy Velebil]

I've gotten an update on what some companies have provided to various hospitals around the Porto/Douro area;

Symington Family Estates:
- A mobile Hamilton T1 Ventilator (works for both infants & adults) to Vila Real Hospital. This unit will then be transferred to Lamego General hospital once the current pandemic is over. Both in the Demarcated Douro Region
- Funded some X-Ray equipment for Santa Maria da Feira hospital just south of Vila Nova de Gaia.
- Continue to supply PPE to the Pedro Hispano hospital in Matosinhos (the fish/port area just west of Porto)

Port Company Consortium:
A consortium of Port Producers coordinated by the AEVP (Port Shippers Association) and have collectively donated 55,000 liters of Disinfectant Gel to 15 Hospitals in the North of Portugal. The companies are Ramos Pinto, Barão de Vilar, Gran Cruz, Niepoort, Real Companhia Velha, Rozés, Borges, Sogevinus, Symington Family Estates & The Fladgate Partnership.

Many thanks to all these companies for doing what they can to help others in this time of need.

[Andy Velebil]

I saw that Jose Maria da Fonseca have made and are distributing 5,000 liters of sanitizer.

[Tom Archer]

Just out of curiosity..

Are they making this alcohol hand sanitiser out of industrial alcohol - or spare Aguardente?

[Andy Velebil]

Just out of curiosity..

Are they making this alcohol hand sanitiser out of industrial alcohol - or spare Aguardente?

Don’t know.

[Andy Velebil]

Just out of curiosity..

Are they making this alcohol hand sanitiser out of industrial alcohol - or spare Aguardente?

I’ve been told the following, in response to your question.

“the basis of the alcohol cleaning gel is Aguardente, the only alcohol we possess. Distilled grape brandy at 77%.”

[Tom Archer]

A bottle of that should almost be a collector's item!

[Glenn E.]

Early on, I read an article about Shine Distillery and Grill in Portland that was making hand sanitizer out of waste alcohol. They don't detail exactly why (and perhaps Eric Menchen can elaborate), but according to the article Shine's first run of alcohol for their product isn't saleable and they normally had to just dispose of it. When demand for hand sanitizer spiked, they contacted up through the chain of government agencies to see if it would be legal for them to just give the stuff away and they were told that as long as they weren't making any medical claims and weren't selling it, they could go for it.

Since at that time they were paying to dispose of this waste alcohol, giving it away as hand sanitizer was a "profit" for them so they converted to doing that immediately and have been doing it ever since.