São Paulo – Until not long ago, whenever the topic was the leading shoe manufacturing regions in the state of São Paulo, the first cities to be named would have been Jaú, Franca and Birigui, located 300, 401 and 521 kilometres away from the capital, respectively. Now, a new hub for production of boots, sandals and shoes is gaining strength: Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, 350 kilometres away from capital.
A total of 28 companies, founded from 15 to 30 years ago, operate in the region. Together, they produce 2.6 million pairs a year, of which 535,000 are men’s shoes and 2.1 million are women’s. The hub’s entrepreneurs are stronger, and are already considering gaining space in and out of the country.
“Aside from selling in Brazil, I currently export to Bolivia and Paraguay,” says José Roberto Alves de Campos, the owner of Mauber Calçados. “But I have already sold to Chile, Costa Rica and Greece,” he claims. How about the Arab countries? could they be on the businessman’s list of buyers? “Yes. When the time comes, I want to survey those markets,” explains Campos.
The entrepreneur explains that last year’s crisis is already being overcome by the good outlook for 2010. “We are expecting to sell 10% more this year,” he says. In order to grow, Mauber invests mainly in the comfort of the shoes that it produces. “We are very particular about using soft padding and insoles, for instance,” explains Campos.
Also enthused about the growth of business, the director of Claer Calçados, Danilo Ferrazzini Paulin, expects to sell 15% more pairs in 2010. The company has already exported to countries such as Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia, Puerto Rico and Spain, and plans to resume foreign sales in the future. “We are keeping an eye out for the export market, including that of the Arab countries,” says Paulin.
For such, the policy consists of increasing fashion research, in order to produce in tune with the latest trends. “This adds value to our shoes,” he asserts. “We do research on what is being done in Europe, but we make a point of valuing our own creations,” says Paulin.
The manager of regional office of the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae) in the city of Ourinhos, and in charge of a training project involving 14 companies in the Hub of Santa Cruz do Rio Pardo, Maria Beatriz Ximenes Zanata agrees with the two entrepreneurs. She explains that currently, the city’s plants are investing in improving shoe design, training collaborators and businessmen, and promoting the hub. “The companies are producing shoes with much quality, productivity, and innovative design,” says Maria Beatriz.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
