São Paulo – Brand Naturayo is betting on a spineless variety of cactus to branch out in foreign markets. The company grows plants including the so-called ‘Saint George’s sword,’ with an emphasis on native species such as the mandacaru. “We have succeeded in largescale farming of the spineless mandacaru, which was our biggest asset this last year. It is not available on the international market, and we have been able to get into the United States and European market,” Naturayo head Thomas Reeves said.
The first batches got shipped off this year and reached their destination this month. “It had been slated for last year, but the pandemic made it harder for us to embark on a project such as this from a logistics as well as a commercial standpoint. But we succeeded in shipping out the first batches, and we are enthused about this product,” said Reeves.
The brand had been exporting plants for over 15 years. However, competition from countries such as Thailand grew fiercer in the past few years. Naturayo is hoping to resume sales in countries it already ships product to, and to break into new markets. “We are improving and getting into new markets. I even went looking for an [Arab] exporter, but to no avail so far. We were in touch with someone in Dubai, but nothing came of it yet due to last year’s issues. it’s a market we have great interest in,” he said.
Naturayo’s first contact with executives in Dubai came at IPM Germany, an international plant fair. “Our plans include going to a plant show in Dubai as well,” he said.
Spineless cactus
The spineless mandacaru got detected by the growers in the wild. “We do not know how this mutation came about, but we saw great potential in it, because indoor plant sales are going strong right now, and spineless plants are really appealing to people with kids, for instance, and really beautiful, from an aesthetic standpoint,” explained Reeves.
Despite its growing operations in Ceará, Naturayo is an affiliate of Veiling, a plant and flower cooperative in Holambra, São Paulo, comprising 400 suppliers from across Brazil. Veiling connects growers to major retailers, in brick-and-mortar outlets as well as online
In 2018, the growers began work on marketing, in addition to showcasing the product at different sites. “We went to this show [the IPM] with modest expectations, and then people got really enthused about the product. They came over to visit while back when we were developing the product. We realized that this was a really important product.”
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
