Twinings, Jordans, Mauri and Gran Finale. Brands that would probably go unnoticed by consumers in any bakery or supermarket in Brazil. But just mention Fleischmann and Ovaltine for old memories to come to mind. All have in common the fact of being under the umbrella of AB Brasil, a multinational that is currently investing R$ 400 million in the country to expand its manufacturing structure and build an effluent treatment station in São Paulo, where its employees are located. business. “We are leaders in yeast, cake mixes, eggs, UHT packaging. We have the fastest growing brand in whipped cream [Fleischmann Gran Finale]. Our businesses are very diversified”, Danilo Nogueira, president of AB Brasil, told DINHEIRO.
AB Brasil is, since 2005, a company of the Associated British Food (ABF), the fourth largest food producer group in Europe, with revenues of US$ 22 billion last year. Operations around the world employ 118,000 people in 47 countries. In Brazil, there are 900 employees distributed by units in the capital of São Paulo, in addition to cities in the interior of the state, such as Jundiaí, Sorocaba and Pederneiras, in the region of Bauru. More than 120 tons of food ingredients are produced annually.
80% was the peak volume of homemade bread preparation reached during the pandemic. before, number was 20%
Since the advent of the pandemic in Brazil, in 2020, the yeast business has gained the most strength in the Brazilian market. Before the health crisis, 20% of households prepared homemade bread, a volume that peaked at 80% during the isolation period. To make life easier for new cooks, the company launched the Pão Pronto kit, which dispenses with beating, one of the main challenges for those who prepare bread, in addition to Super Fleischmann, a mixture of biological yeast and enzymes, for bread to rise by up to 20% more. “But we see opportunities for growth in all businesses.”
The expansion of manufacturing capacity is one of the main strategies in view of the increase in sales to the food industry, commerce (bakeries and pastry shops) and retail, the focus of AB Brasil. The three segments generated revenues of R$ 1 billion in 2021. “In 2023, we should repeat the single-digit average growth”, said Nogueira. And, to cope with the increase in demand, the plant in Pederneiras will gain 30% more capacity at the end of the expansion, this year. Yeasts, mixes for breads and cakes, fillings and toppings are produced on site, including vegetable creams such as whipped cream.
The transformations at the factory in Pederneiras also involve sustainability and preservation of the environment. Of the R$ 400 million jointly invested by AB Brasil and ABF in the factory, R$ 300 million are allocated to the construction of an effluent station. The idea is to eliminate contaminating products present in residual liquids before they are returned to nature or reused for other non-potable purposes. “Companies as a whole gained this very relevant focus within ESG. And we invested in this investment the group’s great initiative with sustainability”, said Nogueira.
Part of the effluent plant is already in operation at the plant inland and has contributed to reducing energy consumption. “The station manages to reuse part of the waste to generate energy that supplies the factory itself. “Currently, we already have 25% of the factory’s energy consumption generated from the waste it produces.” The Sorocaba plant manufactures eggs and pasteurized egg products.
AB Brasil’s business growth extended to the digital world. In November, the company announced the launch of a marketplace aimed exclusively at the B2B bakery market. Panishop, developed in partnership with Infracommerce, an e-commerce ecosystem, connects distributors to bakery owners. Initially, the project works on a pilot basis with 200 bakeries in São Paulo. The showcase has more than 180 products, such as yeast and fillings.
AB Brasil supplies basically all the ingredients that a bakery needs to produce the breads and cakes that it puts in its showcase. “The marketplace also sells products from brands that are not competitors to AB Brasil’s portfolio but are complementary, such as margarines”, said the president. A way to bring distributors into the business model and make AB Brasil’s yeast grow even more.
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