About Chris & Nelly Saraiva
Chris Saraiva
Born into a family of entrepreneurs there was really never a doubt that I would end up working for myself. From the age of 8, I was cashing customers out at my Grandparents’ Portuguese specialty market. When I was 11, I would ride in trucks and try lifting heavy cases as my Dad and Grandfather delivered wine they imported to local restaurants.
Being of Portuguese descent, I have consistently been surrounded by hard-working, no excuse, just make it happen type people throughout my entire life.
At the age of 13, I started my own DJ business and hosted my first wedding at 14. How this started is actually a funny story so be sure to ask when you see me. For 21 years I was trusted to entertain family and friends at one of the most important days of a couples’ life. This really isn’t relevant to this business but it’s perspective to know how much pressure I’ve dealt with in my lifetime. With that also came incredible moments and memories that in part have molded who I am today.
There is one more takeaway from the events industry that will be a big factor in this new company and that is that we know how to throw a party!
In addition to being a DJ, I also worked in the real estate industry right out of high school. In my first year, I became a top-seller within the firm and at the age of 19, I purchased my own first home. Not typically something someone under 20 would strive to do but I never really fit into the expected molds.
By the age of 22, I had moved on from real estate and entered a short stint working for a tech company providing international customer support. While I felt early on that working in the corporate world would not be my long play, it did provide me an invaluable perspective on customer service that I have implemented in every business I’ve run since that time.
I am an only child and so is my mother making our family circle pretty small, or at least it was until I married Nelly. Together, our family pretty quickly became a tight unit. Not having siblings has made me independent and also a bit of a control freak. I’m working on this part still though I’m not convinced there’s a full cure.
Being the only child in a Portuguese household on a Saturday morning also made me great at cleaning and super organized. An alarm clock was not necessary because when the vacuum turned on you knew it was time to get out of bed. If you know, you know…
Growing up I was always surrounded by women with cousins and aunts around every weekend. I feel like I’ve always been an advocate for women, their rights, and understanding of how important their roles are in pretty much everything. It’s also opened my eyes today so when I see a woman business owner or winemaker, I really give them extra credit for their success and effort against odds.
My passions today consist of pushing boundaries, going against odds, and consistently coming up with innovative approaches to things. I know it’s not a simple answer like sports or shopping but I’m not a really simple person. Easy to get along with yes, simple… not so much. My mind is consistently going, ask my wife.
Some of my favorite memories have been made traveling, dancing, or entertaining and always surrounded by good company. That’s what this wine & spirits industry does too. It brings people together which I think is why it’s the path that seemed natural for me.
Nelly Saraiva
I was born and raised in Massachusetts with my sister by my hard-working parents who are Portuguese immigrants. My heritage is such a big part of my life and I love celebrating it. Every day my mom still calls asking how I’m doing and if I want some of the food she has made for dinner or asking what else I need. That's just what Portuguese moms do! The name Nelly was chosen by my Dad who thought it was pretty and different. It’s not long or short for anything despite getting asked that question repeatedly. Not Nelia, not Natalia, not even Nellie… It’s just Nelly.
Of course, there were daily references to my heritage and culture but my first memory of Portugal is the summer I spent with my grandmother in Sao Miguel at age 11. A month was spent in my mom’s hometown of Furnas, and another month with cousins in the main city of Ponta Delgada. A summer filled with new adventures and curiosity that really set the foundation for the admiration I have for my parent’s homeland.
Long weekend road trips to Canada were also a regular thing for my family. I can remember countless times my mom and dad would come home from their stitching and construction jobs and we would pack up their yellow van, you know the kind with the little circle windows on the sides at the back, coolers of food, drinks, and a 12+ hour drive up to Mississauga, Ontario to visit my Aunt, Uncle, and cousins. So many wonderful, priceless memories were made on those trips.
Being surrounded by family was always such a big part of my upbringing. Because my parents worked so hard for a dollar, we rarely went out to eat. Dinners were almost always at home. Sitting at the dinner table together every night was a very big deal.
Seeing the effort my parents put in to make a good life for my sister and me was a big part of the reason I started working at age 15. By the age of 16, I held 3 jobs while completing high school. By age 30 I was a controller for one of the top 100 fastest growing companies in the US and had a big role in their acquisition by a publicly-traded company. I oversaw and implemented financial and administrative strategies for over 150 employees across 10+ states. Since then have been a controller for several different large and small companies that also imported goods they sold online. Ultimately switching careers and working for myself running a successful wedding & boudoir photographer for the last 14 years. Hard work and conquering big goals have never scared me. I do however also believe that life is ultimately unpredictable, so you have to enjoy the fruits of your labor with whatever feeds your soul.
My inspiration and energy often come from other people. I feed off what is around me which can be a blessing but sometimes a curse. I believe as you get older and wiser, you become very aware of the people with whom you want to spend your precious time and those that don’t deserve it.
I bring this up because when we started this company one of the things we maintained from the beginning was we would only partner with well-intentioned people with good energy.
While this wine & spirits industry is newer to me, I am very much looking forward to learning and growing with it especially because I’m sharing this journey together with my husband.
Chris, Nelly, Alec, Tyler & Madison
Our blended family was established in 2011. We work as hard as we do for our kids and to create an environment where they can be successful. Today, they are fortunate to each have grandparents and even great-grandparents that are a big part of their everyday life. We instill in them how important it is to follow your dreams but never expect it to come easy if it’s really worth having. We’ve surrounded them with Portuguese culture so they are able to have an appreciation for both the country that they were born in and also the one their grandparents were born in. Just know when you support Brands of Portugal you're supporting every level of it from us to them, to the producer, winemaker, and their families. It’s a small business at every level.