1927

The young entrepreneur José Dias de Oliveira founds Riopele by installing two cotton weaving machines (for "cotim" and "riscado" fabrics) in a water mill built on the left bank of the river Pele, in Pousada de Saramagos, municipality of Vila Nova de Famalicão.

1933

With the ambition of creating a fully operational factory, José Dias de Oliveira transfers his manufacturing unit to a new building. Over two decades, the Spinning, Dyeing, Weaving and Finishing areas grow in the new facilities, asserting the vertical organization of the production cycle.

1952

The Rioplex brand is developed in partnership with the German company Bayer, offering a superior range of colours and patterns in cotton items. Riopele begins a journey of innovation and creation of exclusive textile products.

1953

With the unexpected death of José Dias de Oliveira, his oldest son, José da Costa Oliveira, who was 22 years old at the time, takes over the management of the company. The successor's name will be forever linked to Riopele's consolidation, development and expansion.

1958

This year witnesses the first exports to the Nordic markets and the creation of agent networks in several countries, ensuring a constant flow of orders.

1963

Riopele establishes a partnership with the German company Hoechst, which allows developing innovative fabrics with the introduction of synthetic fibres under the Texlene-Trevira brand name. In this period, the company becomes the leading European manufacturer of synthetic fabrics.

1974

At a time when the social crisis in Portugal became more acute due to the April 25 Revolution, the employees take the side of the Administration and refuse to go on strike.

1985

Thanks to the expansion of its production plans and to the modernization of its industrial complex, Riopele refocuses its activity on Europe and renovates its traditional product by introducing natural fibres and developing fabrics for its own collections.

1996

The investment in the development of highly breathable and comfortable products, based on the easy-care concept, results in the creation of one of the most innovative and respected Riopele brands - Çeramica.

1997

After obtaining a quality certification, Riopele invests in its environmental and safety certification by implementing business practices that promote sustainable development and the responsible use of natural resources.

2001

The world trade liberalization in textiles and clothing, which breaks down barriers and generates a global competitive environment, aggravates the internal crisis that Riopele had been facing, made worse by the death of José da Costa Oliveira. So, the company experiences a leadership transition.

2007

In an extremely adverse economic and financial context, with the added responsibility of protecting the Riopele legacy, José Alexandre Oliveira, the founder's grandson and José da Costa Oliveira's son, takes over the presidency of the Board of Directors.

2008

Riopele professionalizes its management bodies, enhances its teams and implements an integrated management system, while adjusting its installed capacity to focus its activity on fabric manufacturing. With a clear emphasis on customer satisfaction, Riopele adjusts its value proposal and promotes the creation of several partnerships.

2012

The Nano.Smart R&D project - the result of a partnership between Riopele, the CITEVE (Technological Centre for the Textile and Clothing Industries of Portugal), the CeNTI (Centre for Nanotechnology and Smart Materials) and the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Porto - is launched with the goal of developing smart textile structures and functional coatings at the nanoscopic scale for new fabric collections. This project culminated with the registration of the Çeramica Clean trademark.

2013

José Alexandre Oliveira acquires the whole of Riopele's share capital, completing the recapitalization and financial restructuring process that allowed strengthening the company's competitiveness. That year also witnessed the launch of the Horizontes Programme, focused on the continuous development of the company's human resources and aimed at all its employees.

2014

With a view to improving its fabric collection development and manufacturing services, the company implements an investment programme worth approximately 15 million euros, comprising the modernization of its machinery pool, the investment in production area offices, the construction of new R&D facilities and the creation of a Sampling Garment's Unit.

2015

The first business incubator to operate in an active industrial context in Portugal is set up in the company's facilities. Riopele is also awarded the Prize for the Best Large Tradable Goods Exporter, taking the lead in the recovery of the Portuguese textile sector.

2016

Launch of the eco-innovative R4Textiles project, aimed at developing reused and functional sustainable fabrics based on the recovery of textile and agro-food waste. Riopele introduces new features in its fabric collections to reduce the environmental impact of fashion.

2017

Riopele is celebrating its 90 years of activity in the textile industry under the motto “90 years woven from passion”. Along this journey, our entrepreneurial vision and passion, our fabrics, our weaving machines, our innovation, our respect for the environment, verticality and resilience stand out as common ground.

— watch the video

2018

Within the scope of its environmental responsibility strategy, Riopele installs its first photovoltaic power plant. The brand Tenowa – The Rebirth of Textiles is distinguished with the 2018 COTEC Product Innovation Award and the iTechStyle Award, in the Sustainable Product category.

— watch the video

2019

Riopele completes seven consecutive years of positive and growing results, which consolidates and expands its vast business heritage. To this end, it contributed the investment projects RiopeleTech -Fabrics4Future (2017-2019) and Textiles4Life (2019-2021), having as it main drivers the Circular Economy / Sustainability and the Industry 4.0 / Digitalization. Under the Horizontes program, the triad of ongoing projects R People+, R KPI+ and R Mind+, have become major forces in the transformation of the management of human resources, in the management of the departments’ performance and in the treatment and predictive analysis of business data.

2020

The unexpected adversities that originated in the pandemic crisis of COVID-19, did not compromise the growth trajectory and the dynamics of ongoing projects, namely sustainability and industry 4.0, aligned with the European strategy for energy and digital transition. This year was also marked by the attribution of a variable performance bonus to all employees for the first time in the company’s history. A recognition of the exceptional contribution to the successes achieved in the last seven years, a period in which Riopele has always reached its main goals.

2021

Despite the profoundly demanding times for people, companies and other organisations, within the context of the second consecutive year of the COVID-19 pandemic, Riopele nevertheless advanced with its business consolidation strategy and investment in the modernisation and competitiveness of the company. This year was equally marked by the design and approval of a new and highly diverse Training Program targeting all staff, and involving total investment in the region of €3,3M, a recognition from AICEP in winning the “Best Investment” award and the implementation of a new Management Model.

2022

In 2022, Riopele experienced significant growth in its business, demonstrating a post-pandemic recovery, reaching a turnover of 92.6 million euros. During this year, Riopele hired a CEO who now oversees and coordinates the various executive departments of the company. There was also a notable participation in the "QSP Summit 22," one of the most relevant Management and Marketing conferences in Europe, where Riopele presented its first collection of fabrics in the "Metaverse" at a dedicated stand. It was a year that involved a set of investments, totalling around 25 million euros, conceived within the scope of the PRR/Decarbonization, reinforcing the company's commitment to innovation and sustainability, aiming for an ambitious carbon neutrality goal by 2027.

2023

This year was marked by the arrival of the 4th generation of the Oliveira family at Riopele. Francisca Oliveira took on the role of Business Development Manager. Riopele grew by 6.4% in 2023, reaching a new historical high of 98.4 million euros in revenue. Reaffirming the commitment to carbon neutrality by 2027, in scopes 1 and 2, the company continued its investment in decarbonizing its activities and, as a result of this effort, 61% of the company's energy consumption comes from renewable sources.