JJ Heitor

The history of Portuguese footwear had JJ Heitor as one of its main protagonists. With more than 60 years of activity, the company founded by Joaquim José Heitor went through the most difficult years of the Portuguese footwear industry, with his determination, vision and lucidity.

Joaquim José Heitor's parents already worked in the footwear sector, having passed this passion on to their son who, from an early age, revealed his entrepreneurial vocation. In 1955, Joaquim Heitor, emigrated to Venezuela, looking for better living conditions, always with the objective of realizing his dream, that of building a footwear production unit in Portugal.

Finally, he returned to Portugal in 1963 and founded the company Joaquim José Heitor, Lda., specialized in the production of men's footwear. In 1990, a new factory was built, dedicated to the production of women's footwear, thus increasing its production capacity and investing in new factory equipment in order to respond to the great existing demand.

Currently, the management is ensured by the THIRD GENERATION of the Heitor family. The development of JJ Heitor is based on a model of sustained growth, leveraged on the company's competitive advantages, namely in the rigorous selection of raw materials, in the quality of the finished product and in meeting deadlines. One of the priorities is to ensure a strong presence in the international market, which represents a permanent challenge, both in terms of cultural diversity and technological development.

With a vast portfolio of customers, JJ Heitor uses almost all of its production for export, being present at the main international events in the sector.

A key milestone in this evolution and one of the company's major challenges was the launch in 2013 of its own brand – JJ Heitor Shoes – in which continuous design innovation and production quality come together in a perfect symbiosis.