"It was 1983 and my brother Paulo Jorge decided to enlist in the Portuguese Air Force. Mischievous as he was back then, during basic training, he wanted to impress his fellow recruits. And no sooner said than done. He pretended to be the Marquis of the Arbutus Berry! He claimed to own hectares of arbutus trees in Serra da Estrela, in his hometown, Barriosa, and that every year he needed dozens of workers for the arbutus berry harvest. (...) Suddenly, six strangers appeared with backpacks!

(...) Already flustered, my brother said: "Hey, those guys look like some comrades from the army!" (...) They had come to pick arbutus berries! My brother couldn't believe their naivety! "You guys are really daft. Don't you know that arbutus berries are only harvested from October onwards?" We headed to our parents' cellar. And what "paid" for their travel expenses was the cheese and ham... And the glasses of white wine we drank then!

June 1993 (...) Today, to remember those times (...) I decided to create this arbutus berry brandy, aged in national wooden barrels. And the name, of course, could not be otherwise:

The Marquis of the Arbutus Berry. When you taste it, I hope it brings you good cheer and smiles like those we share when we remember this old story.

João Pedro Freire Borges Mendes"