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Oliva, a piece of our history

The preface to Paulo Marcelo's book "Memories of a Portuguese Brand" (2011) starts like this:

"The Oliva metallurgy was an industrial national reference, revealing - since its creation in 1925 - a particular ambition for being ahead of its time."

What many do not know is that besides the famous sewing machines, stoves, kitchen stoves, bathtubs, irons, and many other products, Oliva also produced taps.
From the 70s on, with the decrease in demand for cast iron sewing machines, the Oliva Group took advantage of its productive capacity and acquired the knowledge needed to start the production of tap components and bodies.
One of the most recognized models is the EUROLIVA collection, which is part of the country's collective memory.
Let's go back to the 70s, when Daciano da Costa, one of the most notable Portuguese designers, begins his collaboration with Oliva through "Risco - Projetistas e Consultores de Design". And, it is in 1977 that, by the designer's hand, the EUROLIVA range is born.
With straight lines and a clear and striking geometric design, this collection quickly stood out from the competition, becoming a huge success.
A few years later the range is updated, featuring slightly rounder handles, the "Olympic handles". These were created out of the need to distance the range from the countless copies that, in the meantime, appeared on the market.
In addition to the characteristic shiny chrome, this collection is released in white, and the powder coating technique is used. This finishing process, innovative for the time, is still widely used today due to its many advantages, such as providing greater resistance to surfaces and being more environmentally friendly.
In the early 90s, Oliva divides its business by several companies and "Unitorn TVA OLIVA S.A." - dedicated to the production of taps - is acquired by CIFIAL, later in 1997. Until the beginning of the 21st century, Cifial promotes its two brands: Cifial and Oliva, only uniting both later on.
Two decades after Daciano da Costa created the range, Cifial relaunched EUROLIVA in the market, and it remained until the middle of the second decade of the 21st century.

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