Private company
1443–1503 Portuguese colonial commercial institution
The Casa da Guiné (English: House of Guinea), later known as the Casa da Guiné e Mina and also referred to as the Portuguese Guinea Company, was a state-run Portuguese commercial institution, tasked with the management of the Portuguese Empire's economic interests and colonization in West Africa, particularly on the Gulf of Guinea, on the Gold Coast, and on the Slave Coast.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0
Last updated Oct 21, 2026.
See how the biggest companies compare on our leaderboards
The Casa da Guiné (English: House of Guinea), later known as the Casa da Guiné e Mina and also referred to as the Portuguese Guinea Company, was a state-run Portuguese commercial institution, tasked with the management of the Portuguese Empire's economic interests and colonization in West Africa, particularly on the Gulf of Guinea, on the Gold Coast, and on the Slave Coast.2
Founded in 1443, during the Age of Discoveries, under the auspices of Prince Henry the Navigator, the Casa da Guiné would later be absorbed into the Casa da Índia in 1503.
From Wikipedia’s article on Casa da Guiné, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3
It monitored and enforced the Crown's monopoly, coordinated voyages, maintained warehouses, fixed prices, and performed other roles associated with the Spice trade. It was also where an average of 1,000 slaves were taken from Africa to be sold each year for nearly 50 years. (Alastair-Corston de Custance Maxwell Saunders, A Social History of Black Slaves and Freedman in Portugal, 1441-1555, Cambridge University Press, 1982, pp.19-21)
From Wikipedia’s article on Casa da Guiné, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3
The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.
