São Paulo – Brazilian beverage industry Cereser, a maker of beverages from the city of Jundiai, in São Paulo state, is gaining markets in the Arab world. The company exports alcohol-free cider to the United Arab Emirates, Syria, Jordan and Bahrain and sales have been growing at an average of 15% a year, according to information provided by the commercial director at Cereser, José Fontelles, and by the export manager, Wagner Cruz. Next year, the growth should take place at a similar rate, according to company forecasts.
Cereser is a traditionally Brazilian brand, having been in the market for 83 years, producing wines, vermouths, vodkas, cane spirits, brandies and other distilled beverages. The company is among the main producers of alcoholic beverages in Latin America. To the Arabs, however, the exports are only of alcohol-free beverages. The Middle East – including Israel – imports 10% of all Cereser sells abroad, according to Cruz. And the alcohol-free product market is the one that is growing most for the company, even in Brazil, according to Fontelles.
In the Arab world, it all began six years ago, with company participation in global food sector fairs. A client from Dubai, in the Emirates, bought beverages made by the brand, after a fair, and then a distributor from Qatar saw the product and also decided to take it to his country. Cereser currently has distributors in all the Arab countries to which it sells. The company, in fact, also develops marketing actions in the region, with sampling and sponsorship of sports events, which should continue going on in 2010.
Around one month ago, Cereser was among the sponsors of competition Sony Ericsson Championship, of women’s tennis in the amateur category, which took place in Doha, Qatar. A box was installed in the VIP area of Khalifa Tennis Complex, where the matches took place, for distribution of glasses of alcohol-free cider in the strawberry, grape, peach and apple flavours. The athletes also celebrated their victory by cracking bottles of the beverages. The box received over 500 guests a day, for a week.
Cereser worldwide
Cereser started exporting its products around 15 years ago. According to Cruz, initially sales took place sporadically. Ten years ago, though, the area was professionalized, with the establishment of an export department, and the products currently reach 46 countries. Sales abroad began in Paraguay and Bolivia, but the brand is now present in Europe, Africa, America and Asia. In Europe, however, sales are still small, according to the company executives. In the Arab nations, the beverages have labels in Arabic and English.
Cereser has two factories, one where the headquarters are, in Jundiaí, and another in Pernambuco, in Suape Industrial Complex. The production capacity is 65,000 litres an hour and the storage capacity, 20 million litres. In October this year, Cereser inaugurated a new line of fizzy drinks at its factory in Jundiaí. According to the company, it is the world’s largest production line of fizzy drinks, with a capacity for bottling over 26,000 bottles of beverages per hour.
Contact
Viti-Vinícola Cereser Ltda
Telephone: (+55 11) 3225-2517
Site: www.cereser.com.br
*Translated by Mark Ament
