05 Jul A matter of Age
A matter of Age
The fact that in 2017 we are celebrating the 225th anniversary of the Jerónimo Martins brand inspired us to dedicate this year’s first edition of Feed to AGE.
The fact that in 2017 we are celebrating the 225th anniversary of the Jerónimo Martins brand inspired us to dedicate this year’s first edition of Feed to AGE. AGE is a matter of time and how it affects and influences the shaping of everything on Earth. AGE is therefore at the crossroad of past, present and future. I believe that understanding what was before, knowing what happened and how the reality we now face came to exist certainly makes our judgement stronger. And that means being better prepared to build the future. My father sometimes quotes Will Rogers saying that “Good judgement comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgement”. Gaining experience certainly requires time and that is why our judgement and wisdom also improve with AGE.
That is probably one of the reasons why I enjoy reading biographies so much. I learn from great people’s lives, mistakes and achievements which is a great and enjoyable way of enriching my own life, making better decisions and getting the most out of the time I have. In this edition we will take you through a little of our Group’s long history, focusing on the last nearly one hundred years when the family I belong to took control of the Jerónimo Martins brand. Being a family-controlled Company is generally associated with the capacity of family members to influence the business which is obviously true. However, my personal view as the present leader of this Group of businesses is that being family-controlled means, more than anything else, being strongly rooted.
Our strong roots give us strength in a world dominated by short-term thinking and uncertainty. They keep us safer, sheltered and focused.
Without a root a tree cannot stand and the same happens we with Companies. At Jerónimo Martins, we know who we are, where we came from and where we’re heading at. And we certainly are values-driven in our restless quest for growth. The values we stand for have guided us throughout different times. They are AGEless though: integrity, humanity, entrepreneurship, accountability. Far from trying to suggest any kind of moral superiority, the commitment to values is nevertheless something we take very seriously and in the name of which we would be willing to sacrifice immediate returns. This doesn’t mean that our roots slow us down. Quite on the contrary, I think. Our strong roots give us strength in a world dominated by short-term thinking and uncertainty. They keep us safer, sheltered and focused.
Our Group’s main investments are in an aged and ageing continent: Europe. That is one of the reasons that led us to invest in a much younger continent: Latin America. Living wisely has a lot to do with the ability to manage balances. You will read a great deal about that in this edition, in which we also pay our tribute to great companies, such as Avianca and Ferreira, and great things that the passage of time makes even greater, such as forests, wine, food… and our recently acquired historical ship “Santa Maria Manuela” that celebrates this year its 80th anniversary. I believe this Feed’s edition has what it takes for you to spend some quality time with us. Because if it’s undeniable that we are ageing every single second, let’s make sure we do it in the best possible way.
