el portugues

What el portugues does

El Portugues is a Buenos Aires-based wholesale and retail importer and distributor of dried fruits, nuts, spices, cereals, legumes, dehydrated vegetables, baking supplies, and specialty natural products. The company has operated for over 15 years (since approximately 2008), serving four primary customer segments: individual retail consumers, dietéticas (specialty health food stores), food manufacturing factories, and gastronomy/HoReCa businesses. Its portfolio spans 18+ categories and includes own-brand and private-label SKUs (e.g., RL Portugues, El Portugues-branded cashews, almonds, walnuts, pistachios) alongside third-party brands such as Natural Seed, Argendiet, and Pampa Gourmet.

The business runs a hybrid distribution model anchored by 13 company-owned retail stores across Buenos Aires neighborhoods (Palermo, Recoleta, Belgrano, San Isidro, Martínez, Olivos, Villa Crespo, Nuñez, and others), a B2C e-commerce site on the MiTienda Nube platform, a dedicated wholesale depot with zone-based minimum purchase thresholds, and third-party marketplace presence on MercadoLibre and Rappi. The technology stack is intentionally lightweight: the e-commerce site integrates cart, inventory, and multi-zone shipping calculation on a regional SaaS platform rather than a proprietary system, and customer engagement runs through Instagram, Facebook, a content blog, email, and WhatsApp Business for wholesale.

Revenue mechanics are split across one-time retail purchases (in-store and online), wholesale bulk orders to B2B customers (with free-shipping tiers for qualifying minimums of ARS $50K to $500K depending on delivery zone), and marketplace commission-based sales. Wholesale operations are sales-led via a direct team and WhatsApp, while retail is direct-to-consumer across physical and digital channels. The company is privately held, founder/owner-operated with no disclosed institutional investors, subsidiaries, or M&A activity, and holds AFIP fiscal certification for Argentine tax compliance.

Name

el portugues

Legal name

EL PORTUGUES

Website

https://elportugues.com.ar

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Natural Foods Distribution

NAICS

Grocery and Related Product Merchant Wholesalers (4244)

SIC

Wholesale-Groceries, General Line (5141), Wholesale-Groceries & Related Products (5140)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty & Gourmet Foods Wholesale Distribution (CRAOAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Shelf-Stable Packaged Foods Wholesale (Canned, Dry, Snacks) (AFAIABAB), Ingredients, Spices & Culinary Supplies Distribution (CRAOABAK), Sports Nutrition, Hydration & Recovery Products Distribution (CRAOAJAL), Wholesale-to-Business Online Ordering (B2B Food E-Commerce) (AFAIAMAD)

Keywords

• Dried fruit distribution
• Natural food wholesale
• Nuts and seeds retail
• Specialty food import
• Wholesale food distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Villa Lynch

HQ country

Argentina

HQ region

Latin America

Offices14 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Online Sales: Direct-to-consumer e-commerce sales through company website with shopping cart functionality, supporting individual purchases of packaged products at listed retail prices.
2. Wholesale/Bulk Sales: Wholesale channel for business customers including dietéticas, factories, and gastronomy businesses with volume-based minimums and pricing tiers, offering both self-service depot pickup and delivered orders.
3. Physical Retail Stores: Brick-and-mortar retail through 13 company-owned store locations across Buenos Aires neighborhoods, offering in-store shopping experience with immediate product availability.
4. Marketplace Sales: Sales through third-party platforms including MercadoLibre and Rappi delivery service, extending product distribution to customers outside immediate delivery zones.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

El Portugues is a Buenos Aires-based wholesale and retail importer and distributor of dried fruits, nuts, seeds, spices, and natural products with over 15 years of operating history. The company operates a hybrid B2B/B2C model: a wholesale channel supplying bulk quantities to dietéticas (health food stores), factories, and gastronomy businesses, and a retail channel comprising 13 company-owned physical stores across Buenos Aires plus a nationwide e-commerce platform. Its catalog spans 18+ product categories (nuts, dried and exotic fruits, seeds, spices, cereals, chocolates, flours, legumes, dehydrated vegetables, baking supplies, supplements) sold under the El Portugues own brand and select third-party brands.

Product overview

El Portugues is a wholesale and retail importer and distributor of dried fruits, nuts, and natural products based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with over 15 years of experience supplying homes, shops, health food stores, factories, and gastronomy businesses. The company operates both a wholesale channel (with volume-based purchasing options and bulk pricing) and a retail e-commerce platform offering online shopping with home delivery or store pickup. The product portfolio centers on dried fruits (cashews, pine nuts, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, peanuts), seeds, cereals, spices, dehydrated vegetables, baking supplies, texturized soy proteins, and specialty items from both the El Portugues own brand and third-party brands like Natural Seed, Argendiet, El Brocal, Dewey, and Pampa Gourmet. The company serves the greater Buenos Aires area through multiple retail branches and offers nationwide shipping for both wholesale and retail orders.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RL PORTUGUES: Private label brand used for some products such as walnuts

Products and services

• Mix Ensaladas y Sopas Natural Seed 250g
• Pines Envasados al Vacio 1kg - El Portugues
• Mani Pelado Tostado Con Sal 400g - El Portugues
• Castanas de Caju W4 Tostadas y Saladas 1kg - El Portugues
• Pistacho Con Cascara Tostado y Salado 500g - El Portugues
• Almendras Peladas Non Pareil 500g - El Portugues
• Castanas de Caju Natural W4 500g - El Portugues
• Castanas de Caju Natural W4 1kg - El Portugues
• Almendras Non Pareil Premium 1kg - El Portugues
• Nueces Mariposas Extra Light 1kg - El Portugues
• Castanas Caju Tostadas Saladas Enteras 400g - El Portugues
• Leche de Coco en Polvo 500g - El Portugues
• Polvo de Hornear 1kg - El Portugues
• Soja Texturizada Extra Fina 500g - El Portugues
• Soja Texturizada Guesa 500g - El Portugues
• Wholesale Distribution Service
• Retail Store Network
• Online Retail Storefront

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Correo ArgentinominorOthersThird-party shipping partner used for national distribution of wholesale orders outside CABA and AMBA zones. Customer arranges and pays for freight through this carrier.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Diarco: Major Argentine merchant wholesaler serving retailers, dietéticas, and HoReCa across the country with a broad grocery assortment. Comparable as a B2B food distributor overlapping with El Portugues' wholesale channel, though significantly broader in product range and geography.
• Coto: One of Argentina's largest supermarket chains with hundreds of stores and broad grocery assortment including nuts, dried fruits, and healthy products. Comparable as a competing retail channel for the same end consumer and as a buyer-side account for wholesale suppliers.
• Arcor: Argentina's largest food manufacturer and CPG brand owner (chocolates, candies, packaged foods) with extensive national distribution. Comparable as a domestic Argentine packaged-food supplier with overlap in chocolates, dulces, and pantry categories El Portugues distributes.
• Molinos Río de la Plata: Leading Argentine food manufacturer (flours, oils, pastas, rice, packaged goods) and one of the country's largest branded food distributors. Comparable via overlap in harinas, aceites, pastas, and cereales categories sold by El Portugues.
• Maxiconsumo: Large Argentine cash-and-carry/wholesale distributor supplying retailers and businesses with grocery, snacks, and pantry items. Comparable to El Portugues' wholesale depot model and B2B minimum-order structure, though operating at a much larger national scale.
• La Anónima: National Argentine supermarket chain with presence across multiple provinces including Patagonia. Comparable as a multi-format grocery retailer stocking natural and healthy products, competing for the same household grocery wallet as El Portugues.
• Jumbo / Disco (Cencosud): Argentina supermarket banners under Cencosud with strong presence in CABA and GBA — directly overlapping El Portugues' core catchment. Comparable as a competing retail destination for nuts, dried fruits, spices, and healthy products.

Emerging players

• Natural Grocers: US natural and organic grocery retailer specializing in supplements, bulk foods, and healthy staples. Comparable in positioning as a destination for nuts, seeds, supplements, and pantry staples, though operating at much larger scale and different geography.
• Sprouts Farmers Market: US specialty grocer focused on natural, organic, and healthy foods including bulk nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and supplements. Comparable in assortment philosophy and category mix (bulk healthy foods + supplements) to El Portugues' retail concept.

Others

• MercadoLibre: Latin America's largest e-commerce/marketplace where El Portugues already lists products. Comparable as the dominant online channel competing for dried-fruit and nuts shoppers in Argentina, and as a distribution platform El Portugues depends on for extended reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ElPortuguesds
• Instagraminstagram.com/elportugues_tiendasaludable
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/el-portugues

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about el portugues