The Edson Queiroz Group is a business conglomerate with a 70-year history that is present at several moments in the lives of brazilians. With a diversified portfolio of brands and products in a variety of segments, it operates in 4 businesses, directly employing around 9.000 people.
Through it’s companies and products, the Edson Queiroz Group is present in the most demanding national and international markets, leaving a trace of credibility wherever it goes. These brands are the result of the pioneering work of entrepreneur Edson Queiroz, a man ahead of his time, who overcame adversity and crossed borders with a unique style of leadership.
With strategic vision and commitment, the Edson Queiroz Group continues to write it’s history with dedication and respect for others.
In 1951, the businessman, the son of traders from the countryside of Ceará, pioneered the import of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) from the United States to Ceará, starting a cultural change by replacing the wood-burning stove with a gas cylinder. Therefore the Group’s first company, Nacional Gás, was born which together with the Paragás and Brasil Gás brands operates in the storage, filling and distribution of LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) throughout Brazil.
To support the sale of LPG, in 1963 the gas cylinder and stove factories were created, which became Esmaltec, one of the most modern home appliance manufacturers in Latin America. With over six decades of combining experience and quality, Esmaltec is a leader in the production and sale of stoves, with lines that are constantly renewed, offering a higher level of energy efficiency. The company produces a range of household appliances and is also the leader in the water dispenser segment, with Gelágua®.
In 1970, Verdes Mares TV (a Globo TV affiliate that is a part of the largest media and communications conglomerate in Brazil, the Globo Group) was founded, joined by Verdes Mares Radio AM and Diário do Nordeste newspaper. Today, the Verdes Mares System (SVM) is a communications conglomerate that also includes radio stations FM 93, Verdinha, Recife FM and Rádio Tamoio, television stations TV Verdes Mares Cariri and TV Diário and the Globo Esporte Ceará and G1 Ceará portals.
In 1979, Edson Queiroz bought the first source of Indaiá water, starting the food and beverage segment at GEQ, which would become what we know today as Minalba Brasil. Today, Minalba Brasil is the sales leader in the natural mineral water segment in Brazil. The factories have high and rigorous quality standards and fully automated manufacturing systems. The company also promotes the preservation of the areas where the natural springs are located. It has a portfolio of more than 15 brands of ready-to-drink beverages, and has the audacious purpose of satisfying its customers’ appetites.
Founded on December 19, 1981, the newspaper Diário do Nordeste has, since its inception, upheld the fundamental principles of the press, to report independently, ethically and responsibly. It’s team of journalists has won several awards for stories of great social value and for it’s coverage of the main events in Ceará, Brazil and the world. Today, Diário do Nordeste is a reference and synonym for fast and reliable information.
This year, GEQ expands it’s operations, becoming a group that manages a portfolio of beverage brands with the purchase of Minalba water. From a single source in Campos do Jordão (SP), Minalba is delivered all over the country. All Minalba brand water comes from a single source, where it springs at 19.5ºC with an alkaline pH and very low sodium content, being a unique work of nature within an Environmental Preservation Area that guarantees the necessary freshness.
The Holding Company of the Edson Queiroz Group is institutionalized and becomes formally responsible for centralized control, providing services to the business and instituting common policies and guidelines for the company’s governance.
On September 24, 2018, the Verdes Mares System inaugurated it’s integrated newsroom, a pioneering project in Brazil that has put the Verdes Mares System at the forefront of the world press, becoming a milestone in Latin American journalism. The new newsroom brings together all the journalism of the Verdes Mares System in the areas of radio, TV and web, integrating all it’s communication vehicles in the way of doing journalism.
In 2020, Nacional Gás acquired the assets of Liquigás and Copagaz. With this investment, Nacional Gás consolidates its leadership in Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) consumption in the Northeast and strengthens its leading position in distribution in the South, Southeast and Midwest.
GEQ is taking another step forward in the evolution of it’s corporate governance and management model, positioning members of the Queiroz family as participants in GEQ’s Board of Directors and bringing in a non-family executive with experience in national and multinational companies, engineer Carlos Rotella, to take over as chairman of the Group.
In May 2023, the Edson Queiroz Group launched it’s new brand, presenting new values, purposes, positioning and visual identity. GEQ’s rebranding reinforces a new journey of transformation for the Group, highlighting a brand with a confident, flexible, pioneering and audacious personality.
