diff --git a/conferer.cabal b/conferer.cabal
--- a/conferer.cabal
+++ b/conferer.cabal
@@ -4,10 +4,10 @@
 --
 -- see: https://github.com/sol/hpack
 --
--- hash: 45fd44d5d84b2f4cd58f0b44ccd4cea950effce5e344718897c38433efc2764a
+-- hash: 998c1dffa6a5fb2effd27e4a50c6b60f419580bc17d495a886912a829575eb93
 
 name:           conferer
-version:        0.1.0.3
+version:        0.1.0.4
 synopsis:       Configuration management library
 
 description:    Library to abstract the parsing of many haskell config values from different config sources
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@
       Conferer.Provider.Mapping
       Conferer.Provider.Namespaced
       Conferer.Provider.Null
+      Conferer.Provider.PropertiesFile
       Conferer.Provider.Simple
       Conferer.Types
   other-modules:
@@ -59,6 +60,7 @@
       Conferer.Provider.MappingSpec
       Conferer.Provider.NamespacedSpec
       Conferer.Provider.NullSpec
+      Conferer.Provider.PropertiesFileSpec
       Conferer.Provider.SimpleSpec
       ConfererSpec
       Paths_conferer
diff --git a/src/Conferer.hs b/src/Conferer.hs
--- a/src/Conferer.hs
+++ b/src/Conferer.hs
@@ -71,6 +71,7 @@
   module Conferer.Types
   , module Conferer.Core
   , defaultConfig
+  , defaultConfigWithDefaults
   , Key(..)
 
   -- * Providers
@@ -80,6 +81,7 @@
   , module Conferer.Provider.Mapping
   , module Conferer.Provider.CLIArgs
   , module Conferer.Provider.Null
+  , module Conferer.Provider.PropertiesFile
   -- * Re-Exports
   , (&)
   ) where
@@ -87,22 +89,30 @@
 import           Data.Text (Text)
 import           Data.Function ((&))
 
-import           Conferer.Core (emptyConfig, addProvider, getFromConfig, getKey, unsafeGetKey, (/.))
-import           Conferer.Types (Config, Key(..), ProviderCreator, Provider(..), FetchFromConfig)
+import           Conferer.Core (emptyConfig, addProvider, getFromConfig, getKey, unsafeGetKey, (/.), withDefaults)
+import           Conferer.Types (Config, Key(..), ProviderCreator, Provider(..), FetchFromConfig(..))
 import           Conferer.Provider.Env
 import           Conferer.Provider.Simple
 import           Conferer.Provider.Namespaced
 import           Conferer.Provider.Mapping
 import           Conferer.Provider.CLIArgs
 import           Conferer.Provider.Null
+import           Conferer.Provider.PropertiesFile
 
 
 
 -- | Default config which reads from command line arguments, env vars and
---   property files
+-- property files
 defaultConfig :: Text -> IO Config
-defaultConfig appName = do
-  pure emptyConfig
+defaultConfig appName =
+  defaultConfigWithDefaults appName []
+
+-- | Default config which reads from command line arguments, env vars,
+-- property files and some default key/values
+defaultConfigWithDefaults :: Text -> [(Key, Text)] -> IO Config
+defaultConfigWithDefaults appName configMap =
+  pure (emptyConfig & withDefaults configMap)
   >>= addProvider (mkCLIArgsProvider)
   >>= addProvider (mkEnvProvider appName)
+  >>= addProvider (mkPropertiesFileProvider)
 
diff --git a/src/Conferer/Core.hs b/src/Conferer/Core.hs
--- a/src/Conferer/Core.hs
+++ b/src/Conferer/Core.hs
@@ -2,8 +2,11 @@
 
 import           Data.Text (Text)
 import qualified Data.Text as Text
+import           Data.Map (Map)
+import qualified Data.Map as Map
 import           Data.Either (either)
 
+import           Conferer.Provider.Simple
 import           Conferer.Types
 
 -- | Most Basic function to interact directly with a 'Config'. It always returns
@@ -11,7 +14,7 @@
 --   providers inside the 'Config'.
 getKey :: Key -> Config -> IO (Either Text Text)
 getKey k config =
-  go $ providers config
+  go $ providers config ++ [mkPureMapProvider (defaults config)]
   where
     go [] = return $ Left ("Key '" `Text.append` keyName k `Text.append` "' was not found")
     go (provider:providers) = do
@@ -36,8 +39,12 @@
 -- | The empty configuration, this 'Config' is used as the base for
 --   most config creating functions.
 emptyConfig :: Config
-emptyConfig = Config []
+emptyConfig = Config [] Map.empty
 
+withDefaults :: [(Key, Text)] -> Config -> Config
+withDefaults configMap config =
+  config { defaults = Map.fromList configMap }
+
 -- | Instantiate a 'ProviderCreator' using the 'emptyConfig'
 mkStandaloneProvider :: ProviderCreator -> IO Provider
 mkStandaloneProvider mkProvider =
@@ -50,7 +57,7 @@
 addProvider mkProvider config = do
   newProvider <- mkProvider config
   return $
-    Config
+    config
     { providers = providers config ++ [ newProvider ]
     }
 
diff --git a/src/Conferer/Provider/Files.hs b/src/Conferer/Provider/Files.hs
--- a/src/Conferer/Provider/Files.hs
+++ b/src/Conferer/Provider/Files.hs
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
 
 getFilePathFromEnv :: Config -> String -> IO FilePath
 getFilePathFromEnv config extension = do
-  env <- fromRight "dev" <$> fetch "env" config
+  env <- fromRight "development" <$> fetch "env" config
   return $ mconcat
     [ "config/"
     , Text.unpack env
diff --git a/src/Conferer/Provider/PropertiesFile.hs b/src/Conferer/Provider/PropertiesFile.hs
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Conferer/Provider/PropertiesFile.hs
@@ -0,0 +1,54 @@
+module Conferer.Provider.PropertiesFile where
+
+import           Data.Text (Text)
+import           Data.Function ((&))
+import           System.Directory (doesFileExist)
+import           Data.Maybe (catMaybes)
+import qualified Data.Text as Text
+import qualified Data.Text.IO as Text
+
+import           Conferer.Types
+import           Conferer.Provider.Files
+import           Conferer.Provider.Null
+import           Conferer.Provider.Simple
+
+-- | 'ProviderCreator' for properties file 'Provider' that read from a
+-- config file in @config/{env}.properties@ and parses it as a properties
+-- file with @some.key=a value@ lines
+mkPropertiesFileProvider :: ProviderCreator
+mkPropertiesFileProvider = \config -> do
+  filePath <- getFilePathFromEnv config "properties"
+  fileExists <- doesFileExist filePath
+  if fileExists
+    then do
+      fileContent <- Text.readFile filePath
+      mkPropertiesFileProvider' fileContent config
+    else do
+      mkNullProvider config
+
+
+-- | 'ProviderCreator' for properties file 'Provider' that only parses a
+-- given 'Text' as a properties file
+mkPropertiesFileProvider' :: Text -> ProviderCreator
+mkPropertiesFileProvider' fileContent =
+  \config -> do
+    let keyValues =
+          fileContent
+          & Text.lines
+          & fmap lineToKeyValue
+          & catMaybes
+    mkMapProvider keyValues config
+
+
+-- | Transform a line into a key/value pair (or not)
+lineToKeyValue :: Text -> Maybe (Key, Text)
+lineToKeyValue line =
+  Text.breakOn "=" line
+  & (\(rawKey, rawValue) ->
+      case Text.stripPrefix "=" rawValue of
+        Just value ->
+          Just (Path $ Text.splitOn "." rawKey, value)
+        Nothing ->
+          Nothing
+    )
+
diff --git a/src/Conferer/Provider/Simple.hs b/src/Conferer/Provider/Simple.hs
--- a/src/Conferer/Provider/Simple.hs
+++ b/src/Conferer/Provider/Simple.hs
@@ -6,6 +6,7 @@
     -- utility
     mkMapProvider
   , mkMapProvider'
+  , mkPureMapProvider
   ) where
 
 import           Data.Map (Map)
@@ -14,10 +15,15 @@
 
 import           Conferer.Types
 
--- | Make a 'Provider' from a 'Map'
+-- | Make a 'ProviderCreator' from a 'Map'
 mkMapProvider' :: Map Key Text -> ProviderCreator
 mkMapProvider' configMap _config =
-  return $ Provider
+  return $ mkPureMapProvider configMap
+
+-- | Make a 'Provider' from a 'Map'
+mkPureMapProvider :: Map Key Text -> Provider
+mkPureMapProvider configMap =
+  Provider
     { getKeyInProvider =
       \k -> do
         return $ Map.lookup k configMap
diff --git a/src/Conferer/Types.hs b/src/Conferer/Types.hs
--- a/src/Conferer/Types.hs
+++ b/src/Conferer/Types.hs
@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@
 import           Data.String
 import           Data.Text (Text)
 import qualified Data.Text as Text
+import           Data.Map (Map)
+import qualified Data.Map as Map
 
 -- | Core interface for library provided configuration, basically consists of
 --   getting a 'Key' and informing returning a maybe signaling the value and
@@ -28,6 +30,7 @@
 data Config =
   Config
   { providers :: [Provider]
+  , defaults :: Map Key Text
   }
 
 -- | The type for creating a provider given a 'Config', some providers require a
diff --git a/test/Conferer/Provider/PropertiesFileSpec.hs b/test/Conferer/Provider/PropertiesFileSpec.hs
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/Conferer/Provider/PropertiesFileSpec.hs
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+module Conferer.Provider.PropertiesFileSpec where
+
+import           Test.Hspec
+import           Data.Text (Text)
+import qualified Data.Text as Text
+import qualified Data.Map as Map
+
+import Conferer
+import Conferer.Core
+import Conferer.Provider.PropertiesFile
+
+fakeLookupEnv :: [(String, String)] -> LookupEnvFunc
+fakeLookupEnv fakeEnv = \envName ->
+  return $ Map.lookup envName $ Map.fromList fakeEnv
+
+spec :: Spec
+spec = do
+  describe "with a properties file config" $ do
+    it "getting an existent key returns unwraps top level value (wihtout \
+       \children)" $ do
+      c <- mkStandaloneProvider $ mkPropertiesFileProvider' "some.key=a value"
+      res <- getKeyInProvider c "some.key"
+      res `shouldBe` Just "a value"
+
+    it "getting an existent key for a child gets that value" $ do
+      c <- mkStandaloneProvider $ mkPropertiesFileProvider' $ Text.unlines
+                               [ "some.key=a value"
+                               , "some.key=b"
+                               ]
+      res <- getKeyInProvider c "some.key"
+      res `shouldBe` Just "b"
+
+    it "keys should always be consistent as to how the words are separated" $ do
+      c <- mkStandaloneProvider $ mkPropertiesFileProvider' $ Text.unlines
+                               [ "some.key=a value"
+                               , "some.key=b"
+                               ]
+      res <- getKeyInProvider c "another.key"
+      res `shouldBe` Nothing