The Value of Time Group

O Valor do Tempo (The Value of Time Group) is a Portuguese business group headquartered at Calçada do Carmo, nº 3, in Lisbon. It describes itself as a group that, through its brands, revisits the history of Portugal and presents it to the world in an original way, wrapped in national icons. Its stated purpose is to create memories for people and to use those memories as a vehicle for historical knowledge and richness, channelling innovation into a social-economy model centred on people and rooted in origins and authenticity as a way to preserve ancestral crafts and artisanal methods. The group operates a portfolio of 13 brands, spanning museums, food and beverage retail, jewellery and cultural retail. Its best-known brand is the Bread Museum (Museu do Pão) in Seia, created in 1996 and opened to the public in 2002, which the group describes as its first brand and one of the country's most visited museums. Other brands include The Fantastic World of the Portuguese Sardine, Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau, Confeitaria Peixinho, Joalharia do Carmo and Pérola do Bolhão. The group's story began in Santa Marinha, Seia, in the Serra da Estrela, in a house dating back to the first half of the 18th century, recently restored to become the Interpretative Centre of the Serra da Estrela Sheep. Geographically, the group's brands are concentrated in Portugal — Lisbon, Porto, Coimbra, Belém and Seia — and have expanded internationally to New York, where it operates in Times Square. The group frames its expansion as taking Portuguese history to the world: 'From Portugal to New York, our brands offer History you can hear, smell, taste, feel and live - where time finds its true worth.' O Valor do Tempo presents itself as a cultural and social-economy enterprise rather than a conventional holding company. Its brands are staged as tributes to Portuguese heritage, with each space designed to move, provoke and celebrate. The group maintains a cultural programme and communicates through Instagram, LinkedIn, WhatsApp and YouTube. It is a private Portuguese business group.

The history of O Valor do Tempo (The Value of Time Group) begins in Santa Marinha, Seia, in the Serra da Estrela region of Portugal, in a house dating back to the first half of the 18th century. According to the group's own account, it was Time that placed it there, and that location became the root of its passion for history. The house was later restored to become the Interpretative Centre of the Serra da Estrela Sheep, a tribute to the group's origins. The group's first brand was the Bread Museum (Museu do Pão) in Seia, created in 1996 and opened to the public in 2002. The group states that for over 30 years — even before its public opening as a museum — the Bread Museum brand was already present on Portuguese tables, ever since it built the Bread Factory in Seia, described as one of the region's most relevant economic agents, still producing daily for the whole country. The Bread Museum remains one of Portugal's most visited museums. The group's first encounter with the historic heart of a city was in Lisbon, where it discovered the light, history and pulse of traditional commerce that helped shape its identity. It was at the Beer Museum that it created the Codfish Cake with Serra d'Estrela cheese, an early example of its approach of linking food products to heritage venues. Over the following years the group expanded its portfolio of brands and locations. Its published timeline records a series of openings and additions. In 2024, it opened Joalharia do Carmo in Rua da Prata, Lisbon, on April 21; The Fantastic World of Portuguese Sardines in Cais do Sodré, Lisbon, on February 29; and celebrated Portugal, Camões and Communities Day for the first time in history in Times Square, New York, at The Fantastic World of the Portuguese Sardine store, on June 10. Later in 2024 it opened Joalharia do Carmo in Coimbra on October 18, The Fantastic World of Portuguese Sardines in Belém, Lisbon, on December 8, and Joalharia do Carmo in Belém, Lisbon, on December 20. In 2025 the pace of expansion continued. On January 13, Pérola do Bolhão, in Porto, joined The Value of Time Group. On January 31, Joalharia do Carmo opened in Rua de S. Nicolau, Lisbon. On September 12, the group opened the Rua das Flores project in Porto — described as a lively block celebrating Portuguese crafts, art and culture — together with Joalharia do Carmo, Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau, The Fantastic World of the Portuguese Sardine and Confeitaria Peixinho, all in Rua das Flores, Porto. On November 4, the accreditation of the Bread Museum and its consequent integration into the Portuguese Museum Network was published in the Official Gazette by order of the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Margarida Balseiro Lopes. The timeline also records a planned opening of Joalharia do Carmo in Times Square, New York, on July 10, 2026. Today the group describes itself as operating 13 brands, with locations from Portugal to New York. Its brands offer what it calls 'History you can hear, smell, taste, feel and live.' The group frames its work as rescuing forgotten heritage and transforming it into soulful experiences, with every space a tribute, every detail a gesture of respect, and every brand a stage where the past returns in its own light.

• 2026

  Planned opening of Joalharia do Carmo in Times Square, New York, on July 10.

• 2025

  Pérola do Bolhão, in Porto, joins The Value of Time Group on January 13.

• 2025

  Opening of Joalharia do Carmo in Rua de S. Nicolau, Lisbon, on January 31.

• 2025

  Opening of the Rua das Flores project in Porto, a lively block celebrating Portuguese crafts, art and culture, on September 12.

• 2025

  Opening of Joalharia do Carmo, Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau, The Fantastic World of the Portuguese Sardine and Confeitaria Peixinho in Rua das Flores, Porto, on September 12.

• 2025

  Publication in the Official Gazette of the accreditation of the Bread Museum and its integration into the Portuguese Museum Network, by order of the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports, Margarida Balseiro Lopes, on November 4.

• 2024

  Opening of The Fantastic World of Portuguese Sardines in Cais do Sodré, Lisbon, on February 29.

• 2024

  Opening of Joalharia do Carmo in Rua da Prata, Lisbon, on April 21.

• 2024

  Portugal, Camões and Communities Day celebrated for the first time in Times Square, New York, at The Fantastic World of the Portuguese Sardine store, on June 10.

• 2024

  Opening of Joalharia do Carmo in Coimbra on October 18.

• 2024

  Opening of The Fantastic World of Portuguese Sardines in Belém, Lisbon, on December 8.

• 2024

  Opening of Joalharia do Carmo in Belém, Lisbon, on December 20.

• 2002

  The Bread Museum opens to the public in Seia.

• 1996

  Creation of the Bread Museum (Museu do Pão) brand in Seia.

A cultural and social-economy group that revives Portuguese heritage through immersive brands, museums and retail experiences, preserving ancestral crafts and artisanal methods.

• Museu do Pão (Bread Museum)

  Museum in Seia, created in 1996 and opened to the public in 2002; the group's first brand and one of Portugal's most visited museums.

• The Fantastic World of the Portuguese Sardine

  Retail and experience brand dedicated to the Portuguese sardine, with locations in Lisbon (Cais do Sodré, Belém), Porto (Rua das Flores) and New York (Times Square).

• Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau

  Food retail brand specialising in the Portuguese codfish cake, with a location in Rua das Flores, Porto.

• Joalharia do Carmo

  Jewellery retail brand with locations in Lisbon (Rua da Prata, Rua de S. Nicolau, Belém), Coimbra, Porto (Rua das Flores) and a planned store in Times Square, New York.

• Confeitaria Peixinho

  Confectionery brand with a location in Rua das Flores, Porto.

• Pérola do Bolhão

  Porto brand that joined The Value of Time Group on January 13, 2025.

1. 1The Value of Time Group — Homeovalordotempo.pt
2. 2History — The Value of Time Groupovalordotempo.pt
3. 3Timeline — The Value of Time Groupovalordotempo.pt
4. 4Brands — The Value of Time Groupovalordotempo.pt
5. 5O Valor do Tempo — Wikidatawikidata.org