1962 João Macedo Silva founds RAR - Refinarias de Açúcar Reunidas, SA, with an initial capital of approximately 10 million escudos.  A 20,000m2 site is purchased at Rua Manuel Pinto de Azevedo in Porto for the construction of a future industrial plant. 1967  The new sugar refinery comes on stream with an initial production capacity of 50.000 tonnes/year.  Acquisition of licences, rights, land and machinery for two refineries, increasing sugar production capacity to 75.000 tonnes/year.
1970
 Creation of Acembex - Açúcar, Embalagem e Exportação Lda., a joint venture between Tate & Lyle and RAR Açúcar, now Acembex - Comércio e Serviços, Lda. 1971
 Acquisition of a stake in Fábrica de Chocolates Imperial, SARL, based in Vila do Conde, now Imperial Produtos Alimentares, S.A. 1973
 Acquisition of Transportes Teixeira, Lda., later RARTransportes Lda.  Acquisition of Sociedade de Refinaria Angola, Lda., based in Matosinhos. The process of concentrating sugar refining in the North, which began in 1962, ends with the acquisition of 29 sugar refining plants. 1977
 RAR participates in the formation of IBEROCAP - Indústria de Acessórios para Embalagens, Lda., a manufacturer of capsules and packaging accessories. 1978
 Beginning of the creation of SPI - Sociedade Portuguesa de Investimentos, SA, of which RAR is one of the main promoters and which is to be the origin of the first private bank to be formed in Portugal since the nationalisation of the banking sector in 1975.  Acquisition of a stake in COPAM - Companhia Portuguesa de Amidos, S.A.
1981 Creation of RAR - Sociedade de Controle (Holding) S.A., the company that currently controls, directly or indirectly, all of the Group?s shareholdings.  RAR takes control of MONTARROIO - Sociedade Comercial de Cafés, Lda., the company responsible for the introduction of the Segafredo brand in Portugal and the subsequent creation of the Buondi brand. 1984 Formation of BPI - Banco Português de Investimento, SA, the first private bank to be formed in Portugal following the reopening of the banking sector to private initiative. RAR is elected to the chair of the General Council.  Disinvestment in the moulds and plastics area. 1985 Formation of BCI - Banco de Comércio e Indústria, SA. João Macedo Silva, Chairman of RAR, becomes chairman of the General Council. 1987 Creation of RAR Imobiliária, S.A.  Formation of Portugel - Comércio e Indústria de Gelados, Lda., a company established to market the Motta brand of upmarket Italian ice cream.  Formation of RAR D - Comércio e Distribuição de Produtos Alimentares, SA. 1988 Participation in the creation of the Global and Global Vida insurance companies.  Creation of RAR - Sociedade de Capital de Risco, SA and RAR - Sociedade de Investimentos e Engenharia Financeira, SA.
1990 Acquisition of a qualified shareholding in Adriano Ramos Pinto (Vinhos), SA. 1992 Acquisition of a stake in Finantipar, the holding company controlling Banco Finantia.  RAR is one of a core group of investors seeking to acquire control of BPA - Banco Português do Atlântico. 1993 Reinforcement of positions in the financial sector, including in BPA and Finantipar (Banco Finantia).  Sale of Montarroio to Nestlé. 1994 Formation of RAR Ambiente, S.A.  Formation of Indáqua - Indústria e Gestão de Águas, S.A. (joint venture for the water sector between RAR Ambiente and national and international partners). 1995 Via RAR Ambiente, in association with national and international partners, Recolte - Recolha, Tratamento e Eliminação de Resíduos Sólidos, S.A. and Climaespaço - Sociedade de Produção e Distribuição de Energia Térmica, SA, are formed in the industry and environmental services sector.  Disposal of the BPA shareholding following the Tender Offer launched by BCP - Banco Comercial Português. 1999 Acquisition of 2% of the share capital of CIMPOR.
2000
 Death of João Macedo Silva, the founder of RAR.  João Nuno Macedo Silva becomes Group Chairman.  RAR invests in the tourism sector by acquiring GEOTUR - Viagens e Turismo, SA.  RAR invests in the Packaging sector, initiating the acquisition process of Colep Portugal - Embalagens e Enchimentos, SA. 2001
 Launch of a Tender Offer for Colep; RAR acquires 100% control of the company.  Formation of Centrar, a Shared Services company. 2004
 Formation of ColepCCL from the merger of Colep and CCL Custom Manufacturing Europe to create Europe?s biggest contract manufacturing company. 2007
 Acquisition of a majority shareholding in Wight Salads Group (WSG).  Acquisition of the 40% position that CCL Industries previously held in ColepCCL, resulting in the RAR Group gaining 100% control of the company.  Acquisition by Geotur of tour operators Grantur and Sporski. 2008
 Acquisition of 100% control of Vitacress Salads, Ltd.  The RAR and Sonae Groups agree to merge their travel operations, Geotur and Star, to create a new company - RASO, SGPS, SA - 50% owned by each of the Groups.  Reinforcement of ColepCCL?s European leadership with the acquisition of Czewo Full Filling Service GmbH in Germany.  Sale of RARTransportes to the Sardão Group. 2009
 Acquisition, by ColepCCL, of the German company Czewo, reinforcing its leading position in Europe in the contract manufacturing
 Merge of Geotur and Star (travel agencies) and launch of the brand GeoStar
2010
The RAR Group enters the Brazilian market through the acquisition by ColepCCL of 51% of the companies Provider/Total Pack and the launch through this partnership of a new aerosol-based consumer products production plant.
Vitacress reinforces its position in the UK with the acquisition of Van Heyningen Brothers (VHB), one of the principal companies in the fresh herbs sector.
2013
Colep sets an Agreement for Manufature and Technology with One Asia Network to cover the entire operations of both organisations in Asia, Australia, Brasil and Europe. Owing to this Agreement skills as Know-how, Innovation, R&D, Quality, Operations and Security are combined to provide more and improved solutions for local and global clients.
Colep acquires an industrial unit in Mexico, marking the start of the Portuguese multinational in that market. Almost at the same time Colep set a joint-venture with a company in UAE. This dual operation - occurring more or less simultaneously with the partnership settled with One Asia - positions Colep at the Top 3 Worldwide Operators of this sector and makes of this RAR Group company the unique to operate globally in the contract manufacturing sector.
2015 Colep extended its majority controlling stake (51%) by acquiring the totality of the Brazilian operation, becoming the only responsible for the management of assets of about 300 million Real (100 million euros), in a business which have a leading position in the Brazilian market.
Continuing the process of reallocation of its assets in order to concentrate RAR Group investments in the most strategic companies, the sole shareholding in Imperial and the 50% stake in GeoStar have been sold. Moreover, RAR Group has sold its UK tomato business.
With the start-up of its new glasshouse - the largest in Europe - for the production of fresh herbs in pot, Vitacress concluded the process of concentrating in Runcton all its production of this category of herbs.
2016
Construction began on a new plant dedicated to segment contract
manufacturing in the industrial centre of Kleszczów, Poland, where Colep
has two other industrial units.
Vitacress begins the process of merging its Amesbury industrial centre
with St Mary Bourne, where all the salads production will be
concentrated, with significant cost, efficiency and quality gains.
2018 Colep started the operation of its new plant built in Kleszczów (Poland).
Colep alienated its Liquids & Creams industrial assets in Zülpich (Germany), transferring that production to new Polish plant and to Bad Schmiedeberg (Germany).
Vitacress increased its participation in Vitacress Real, the venture that is operated with the Dutch Gipmans Group and completed the disinvestment process in the tomato segment with the sale of production assets in Portugal and Spain.
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