Marina Sarruf*
marina.sarruf@anba.com.br
São Paulo – One more Brazilian franchise may be opened in the United Arab Emirates. It is for brand Sensória, a maker of artistic cosmetics that attracted the attention of a businessman from the Arab country who visited one of the brand shops in Rio de Janeiro. "We are still negotiating, but he liked our products very much," stated the Sensória director, Fernando Giffone.
According to him, if the deal works out, it will be the first Sensória franchise abroad. "I believe that the deal should be concluded in the first half. It is a pioneer work," he said. The Arab businessman interested in the franchise has several shops in the Arab world, including Brazilian ones.
Company exports began in the middle of last year. Today the products from Rio de Janeiro are shipped to the United States and Germany. The soaps made from babassu oil extracted in the Amazon are the main export products. According to Giffone, the raw materials used in the production of cosmetics are extracted in a sustainable and ecological manner, which pleases foreign buyers. "There is very great foreign demand for this kind of product and Brazil is a strong brand anywhere on the planet," he added.
It is not just products that are made in an ecologically correct manner, but also the packages. Apart from being made out of recycled paper, they may be used for other purposes. "The top may be used as a card or clip holder, for example, and the lower part, which is made out of cotton, becomes an exfoliating towel," explained Giffone.
Sensória offers 250 products, including soaps, hydrating cream, shampoo, conditioner, bath gel, face masks, perfume for environments, body exfoliating creams and bath salts. The raw material used for the production of the articles ranges from fruit, nuts, teas, vegetable oils, roses and honey, among others. "Our target is to transform an ordinary into an extraordinary product," said Giffone, who helps in the creation of the formulas. "I am part chemist, part perfume maker. I am creative," he said.
Giffone, who graduated in economics and is post graduated in retail, is being successful with his creativity. With the inauguration of the first shop, in 2002, Sensória, now already has eight shops and the target is to end the year with 18. Apart from Rio de Janeiro, the company also has franchises in Juiz de Fora, in Minas Gerias and Vitória, in Espírito Santo (all in SE Brazil).
Currently, around 15% of the company production is turned to the foreign market, but, according to Giffone, the target is to expand this total to 50%. "We are a small company, and do not want to explode. We want to go little by little," he said. "Although the factory has a capacity to supply the foreign market, management geared in this direction is lacking. We are creating a process for this," he added.
Investment
To supply the growing demand, Sensória has invested 1 million Brazilian reals (US$ 585,000) in a new factory. "Our products are artistic, the kind of production is unique, so we had to develop special machinery," stated the director. The company has a capacity for production of 1.2 million tonnes of products a year. The price of each bar of soap is, on average, US$ 8. "It is a work of art," defines Giffone, who employs 40 people at the factory.
Contact
Sensória
Tel. (+55 21) 3867-1817
Site: www.sensoria.com.br
*Translated by Mark Ament
