Founded in 1888. Still here. Still family.
In 1888, João de Freitas Martins founded a house in Funchal that worked both shipping and tourism. More than 135 years and five generations later, the shipping branch still works Madeira’s ports, and adopted the JFM Shipping name in 2011. This is not a story about the past. It is the reason a port call with JFM carries no learning curve today.
The founder
João de Freitas Martins built his house in an age when Madeira was a vital Atlantic stop for ships crossing between Europe, Africa and the Americas. The house carried two activities from early on, shipping and tourism. The shipping line is the one that runs unbroken to the agency of today, JFM Shipping, a name the navigation branch formally adopted on 26 December 2011.
Five generations of continuity
The house passed from the founder to his family, including his grandson Dr. Fernando José Martins de Almeida Couto (1924 to 2005), who managed the firm and served as President of the Funchal Municipal Chamber from 1965 to 1972. It passed then to João Welsh, the founder's great-grandson, who led the company until 2023, and today to Jorge Welsh, CEO and the fifth generation. The same 1888 root also gave rise, through the tourism branch, to our sister company DMC Madeira.
A documented history
JFM's history is not just told, it is recorded. In 2016, the company's historical archive was deposited with the Regional Archive and Library of Madeira, preserving more than a century of maritime records for the public and for researchers. The archive has since been the subject of independent academic study.
Our history
- 1888 João de Freitas Martins founds the house in Funchal, working shipping and tourism.
- 1965–1972 Dr. Fernando José Martins de Almeida Couto, the founder's grandson, serves as President of the Funchal Municipal Chamber.
- 2002 First shipping agency in Madeira to earn ISO 9001 certification.
- 2007 DMC Madeira, the sister company, is established from the tourism branch.
- 2011 The navigation branch formally adopts the JFM Shipping name, on 26 December.
- 2016 The company's historical archive is deposited with the Regional Archive of Madeira.
- 2023 Leadership passes to Jorge Welsh, the fifth generation.
- 2028 140 years.
Why it matters to you
Continuity is not nostalgia. It means the same family, the same name and the same standard have answered for every call for more than a century. When you appoint JFM, you appoint that record.