The story goes as follows: at the end of the 19th century, a travelling port wine merchant passing through Lousã fell in love with the daughter of a pharmacist, and the affair ended in marriage. As well as the usual medicines, the pharmacy sold “natural liqueurs” based on ancient formulas that were kept secret. In the meantime, a law had come into force prohibiting the attribution of medicinal properties to alcoholic beverages. Seizing the opportunity, the young man from the north began producing nectars using the same traditional methods in a small factory.
But the name Licor Beirão was no accident. In 1929, a Beirão congress was held in Castelo Branco and the liqueur took the name of that meeting. It was the difficulties caused by the Second World War that led to the sale of the factory in 1940 to a young man from Lousã, José Carranca Redondo, who worked there for a time. Just over twenty years old and married in the meantime, he decided to invest his savings by buying the house and the secret, devoting himself body and soul to the liqueur that his wife had started to make. Since then, sales have grown steadily and the liqueur has become a great success.
Licor Beirão is currently produced at Quinta do Meiral, in Lousã (Coimbra district, Portugal). With more than 12 hectares of land, some of the aromatic plants and seeds used in its production are grown here, allowing for better quality control. The other ingredients are imported from as far afield as India, Sri Lanka, Brazil and Turkey, among others.
Address
www.licorbeirao.com
Tel: +351 239 991 114 (Chamada para a rede fixa nacional)
Fax: +351 239 993 703 (Chamada para a rede fixa nacional)
comercial@licorbeirao.com
Quinta do Meiral
3200-095 Lousã
Portugal
