The old adage “calm seas never made a good sailor” fits well with some food industry leaders. In the midst of a tidal wave of challenges, there are companies aiming at expansion and renewal to gain momentum, customers and market. This is the bet of the Frescatto Company, one of the three largest fish companies in Brazil in terms of revenue — it was R$ 820 million last year. Despite the pressure coming from high production costs, logistical difficulties, tax burden and the flattening of consumers’ purchasing power, the company has just announced an investment of R$ 40 million in the construction of a new factory. Work on the 30,000 m2 site in Duque de Caxias (RJ) is expected to begin within three months, and is expected to be fully operational in mid-2024.
The new, more modern unit will have a constructed area of 25,000 m2 and will replace the current one, built in the 1980s. The objective is to gain in productivity, quality and opportunities. In addition to the chance to open new business areas, with higher value-added products and lines for export, the company’s CEO, Thiago De Luca, sees efficiency gains as a way to reduce prices and attract more consumers.
The executive defends this flag, even as a way to make fish more popular among Brazilians. Even more considering that the country has about 11 million unemployed and inflation in the last 12 months has surpassed 12%, according to the IBGE. “When people think about taking a protein home, they look for the one that is most compatible with their pocketbook. If we manage to lower the price, consumption will increase”, said De Luca, who is also vice-president of the Brazilian Fish Industry Association (Abipesca).
This move by Frescatto Company is proof of the confidence in the business itself and in the potential of the sector. “Fish has everything to be the next power of Brazilian agribusiness”, said the CEO. According to the executive, while the average annual consumption in the world is 23 kilos per person and the WHO indicates 20 kilos, in Brazil this average is 10 kilos. In other words, there is a sea of opportunities ahead.
EXPANSION Frescatto processes 21,000 tons of fresh and frozen fish a year at its headquarters in Rio de Janeiro, and serves the entire country through its four branches: Brasília (DF), Contagem (MG), Recife (PE) and São Paul (SP). Distribution is divided into 80% for food service (hotels, bars and restaurants) and 20% for supermarkets. The most representative products are salmon and white fish, but there are also cod, shrimp and seafood. These items hit the market under two brands, Frescatto, more premium, and Bona Pesca, which has more affordable prices. The portfolio has just won a line of individual salmon portions, with only 200g and packed with skinpack technology, which enhances the presentation of the product. The novelty is part of the Alfresco brand and comes from the recently closed partnership with Norwegian Mowi, the world’s largest producer of salmon.
The company is going through a good moment, with the prospect of earning more than R$ 1 billion this year and growing 24% compared to 2021. The conviction regarding the result comes, in large part, from the list of clients, which in 2019 reached 7 thousand names a month and became a strength of the company. The success was only interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, which caused the closure of many establishments served by Frescatto. In 2021, with a better understanding of how to deal with the disease, the progress of vaccination and the resumption of various activities, the number of customers grew again, and a lot, exceeding 11 thousand.
REWARD Thiago De Luca has been working at the company founded by his grandfather, Carmelo De Luca, in the 1940s for 20 years. And, as he says, entering the industry was a little push to direct his own life. Today, at the helm of the company, he has the mission of continuing to value the family business. He seems to be doing okay. In February of this year, for example, the company received the More Integrity award, offered by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (Mapa) for social responsibility, environmental sustainability and ethics. It was the first time that an industry in the sector had such recognition. According to De Luca, much of this result comes from the compliance process started in 2016. And as much, from his grandfather’s passion for fish, which has been passed on from generation to generation.
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