Until 2020, Taunsa was just a company inserted in the Brazilian agribusiness grain sector, which is characterized by fierce competition between medium-sized companies – where it is inserted – and a domain of giants, such as ADM, Amaggi, Bunge, Cargill, Cofco and Louis Dreyfus. Last year, however, two important initiatives took São Paulo’s Taunsa to another level. One of them within the four walls of the office: the partnership with Ahamed Ramadhan Juma (ARJ) Holding, an investment company in the United Arab Emirates, to generate contracts in the Middle East. It has worked. The demands generated increased revenue by between 40% and 50%. The other, on the four lines of the lawn: partnership with Corinthians professional football, to make the company better known nationally and internationally. It has given results. Demand for new business has risen 30% since December.
At a good moment, with contracts worth US$ 486 million per month (R$ 31.5 billion annually), Taunsa plans to invest R$ 5.7 billion until 2028 to become one of the largest soybean exporters in the country. “It’s a pretty tough plan. At the end of this project, Taunsa will also be number one in storage and reception and grains”, said Cleidson Cruz, president and founder of the company, which was born in 2008 in Araçatuba (SP) – initially limited to dairy production, expanded its operations for planting, storing and marketing soy and corn in Brazil and in West African countries.
After helping Corinthians in the signing of the player Paulinho, Taunsa advanced in the marketing strategy with the club and announced that it will stamp its brand on the back of the shirt in the first four rounds of the Brasileirão. The amounts involved were not disclosed. “We want to internationalize the brand, allying it with a world-renowned institution, in a segment that is passionate here and abroad”, said the executive.
The sponsorship arrangement with the São Paulo team was quick. Unlike the agreement with the ARJ. The kick-off for dating was in 2020, when the Arabs began to research the company in depth, after meeting other Brazilian companies in the sector. The courtship evolved into engagement in 2021. Including a contract to supply production to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO-UN). Now, 2022 is the wedding year, when Middle Eastern demands for Taunsa begin to kick in. “It’s a significant volume,” Cruz said.
The investments of R$ 5.7 billion will be basically to serve these businesses. Taunsa has some contracts in the Asian market, but is not even excited about the possibility of increasing exports to China, the main buyer of soy from Brazil — the giants already operate there. The resources are from international investment funds and have nothing to do with ARJ. The holding is just a partner and also has no stake in Taunsa, guarantees the president.
PROJECT The plan provides for 34 more units spread across Bahia, Goiás, Maranhão, Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais, Paraná, Piauí, São Paulo and Tocantins. All built from scratch, with the purchase of land and installation of the infrastructure. “Renovating and adapting could take longer and cost more,” Cruz said. They will be added to the current eight units in Mato Grosso and Tocantins. The administrative headquarters remains in Campinas (SP).
Marcos Fava, professor at the São Paulo School of Business Administration at Fundação Getulio Vargas (FGV-Eaesp), says that the scenario is positive for Taunsa. In the last two years, Brazil has increased its grain area by 6 million hectares, with global soy consumption growing by 10 million tons per year. “Global demand exists. The point of concern is the great competition, so it is necessary to offer a differential. The partnership with the Arab holding company is beneficial,” said the specialist.
The forecast of Taunsa is, with the 42 units in operation, to leave the current 15th position in corn exports and mainly soybeans to be among the main sellers of grains in Brazil around the world. Cultivating Arabian businesses and on the lawns.
#Taunsa #cultivates #business #lawn #ISTOÉ #MONEY