DPD Fresh: Delivering a Recipe for Success in Portugal
Business & Markets 21 August 2025
Launching a robust fresh food delivery service
DPD fresh was launched in Portugal in October 2023 to meet the rising demand for fresh food delivery across the country. This additional location builds on the proven success of the DPD fresh service in BeLux, France, Lithuania, SEUR frío in Spain and BRT fresh in Italy, drawing on Geopost’s extensive infrastructure and expertise to support producers, businesses, and end-consumers.
The decision to expand into Portugal was driven by two significant market trends. First, consumer demand for fresh food delivery is on the rise. According to the Geopost e-shopper barometer, 72% of regular e-shoppers in Portugal who order fresh food and beverages online opt for ready-to-eat hot and cold meals. Secondly, Portuguese consumers are changing their consumption habits, with an increasing preference for fresh, locally sourced, and sustainable food options, including dietary, vegan, and organic products. The launch of DPD fresh in Portugal directly addresses these evolving market needs, paving the way for sustained growth in the sector.
Identifying and responding to specific market needs
The DPD fresh offering in Portugal caters to both individual consumers and businesses, meeting diverse needs across the fresh food delivery supply chain. The service supports B2C orders such as groceries and pre-prepared meals, while also accommodating B2B clients with specialist deliveries of products including dairy, premium meats, pasteurised eggs, and high-value fruits and vegetables.
For smaller businesses and producers, DPD fresh provides a vital solution to a common challenge: reaching markets beyond their immediate geographic area. Many smaller producers, even those with their own delivery fleets, face limitations in scaling operations or expanding nationally.
Without access to large-scale logistics solutions, they risk missing out on significant sales opportunities. The DPD fresh service bridges this gap with a well-established network of vehicles capable of fresh food delivery nationwide within 24 hours, enabling businesses to meet demand across the country while maintaining the quality and safety of their products.
As the team at Dona Marmita, DPD fresh’s first customer in Portugal, puts it: “DPD fresh allowed us to grow beyond our city and to have customers all over Portugal.” They started with just 200 shipments per month and now send around 900, delivering to cities so remote they had to double-check their map—“but I know DPD fresh Portugal delivers there,” they added.
The strategic steps to ensure food delivery market success in Portugal
To establish a strong presence in the Portuguese market, DPD concentrated on building the infrastructure necessary for reliable temperature-controlled deliveries. This robust infrastructure ensures the delivery vehicles in DPD’s fleet, operating through 14 stations nationwide, are ready to meet the evolving needs of businesses.
DPD Portugal has enhanced its logistics capabilities by equipping linehauls and platforms with cold rooms to preserve product quality. In 2025, 230 thermic mobile containers, 320 IoT temperature sensors, 12 cold rooms, and around 8 refrigerated vans were already in operation. The company plans to continue increasing the number of fully refrigerated vans in high-activity areas, further enhancing its ability to serve clients efficiently.
Keep cool: Ensuring cold chain integrity
Maintaining cold chain integrity has been a cornerstone of DPD Portugal’s strategy. From collection to delivery, food products are kept within a controlled temperature environment to ensure their quality and safety. To achieve this, the company integrated IoT sensors into its isothermal bags, linehaul containers, refrigerated vans and cold rooms, which record temperature data every 10 minutes. This information is managed through a software system that tracks conditions in real time and alerts the team to any anomalies. In taking these proactive measures ౼ and providing the latest temperature reading upon delivery ౼ DPD ensures full transparency and accountability, reassuring clients of the quality of their deliveries.
By providing real-time temperature data from the latest readings and temperature curves, the service offers professional clients greater visibility and peace of mind, reinforcing its commitment to quality and safety. If needed the temperature curve is also made available to the shipper as well. These strategic initiatives have positioned DPD Portugal as a leader in the fresh food delivery market, ready to meet the demands of businesses and consumers across the country.
The advantages of having a global network by your side
DPD Portugal benefited significantly from the scale and expertise of other Business Units across Europe including France, Italy, Lithuania, Poland, and Spain. Before its launch, the team tapped into the knowledge and experience of the Geopost food network. This community convenes regularly via monthly calls and in-person meetings several times a year to share insights, discuss business strategies, and explore opportunities for improvement and development to better serve diverse markets. This collaborative knowledge-sharing process not only provides insights from teams that have already launched the service in other regions, helping to avoid common pitfalls and accelerate implementation, but also equipped the team in Portugal with proven tools and strategies.
Being a part of the dense network at Geopost instilled confidence in the local market, enabling DPD Portugal to reassure stakeholders that, while the service was new in the country, it was supported by the extensive expertise of successful operations across other Business Units.
Tapping into local market feedback
The team also sought feedback from key customers before the launch, testing the service to identify what worked and what improvements were necessary. This collaborative approach provided invaluable input, ensuring the offer met customer needs and expectations from the outset.
