Isaura Daniel
São Paulo – After entering the first positions in the ranking of powdered juice sales in Brazil, General Brands, a Brazilian company that began producing only seven years ago, has started selling to the Arab countries. The company has already shipped around US$ 130,000 of their Camp powdered juice to Morocco, Algeria, and Libya, since the beginning of the year. Despite competing with multinationals that have been on the market for a long time, the brand is already the third in terms of sale on the Brazilian market.
Contracts with distributors in the Arab countries, signed between February and April, forecast sales of US$ 400,000 up to December, according to company export manager Raimundo Gomes da Silva. The executive believes that the Arab region may reach 20% of General Brands export this year.
Trade, however, should not be restricted to the tree countries. New contracts are being negotiated with distributors in the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait. The company forecast is to ship between two and three containers of juice to each country up to the end of the year. Shipping to Kuwait will take place once packages have been adapted. "We are preparing packages in Arabic, French, and English," explained Silva.
Next year, the Arabs are forecasted to represent 30% of General Brands international trade. Silva stated that the flavours that currently sell best on the international market are the traditional orange, grape, strawberry, tangerine, mango, pineapple, and lemon. "But we are also selling guaraná (a fruit typical of the Brazilian Amazon forest) and coconut juice," he stated. The company has recently developed a green coconut flavour, which tastes similar to coconut water.
Strategy
Entry in the Arab market is part of a larger company strategy of doubling export up to the end of the year. Last year, foreign trade represented 3% of company revenues, around US$ 26.3 million (calculated using the exchange rate of July 30, 2004).
This year the target is to increase foreign trade to around 6% of revenues. Despite having started operating in 1997, the company only started exporting in 2001.
Camp juice, which is the company cash cow, answers to 70% of foreign trade. In second place comes Camp Light, with 20%, and in third place comes chewing gum Gang, with 10%. Apart from Camp juice, and from the gum, General Brands also produces juices Sukki and Tanny, and food supplement Sustaplus.
Company production is traded in South America, Central America, Europe, Asia, and Africa, as well on the domestic market. Africans are the largest company international customers. The company exports to 21 countries, according to commercial director Isael Pinto.
Production is in the hands of over 400 factory floor employees in the city of Guarulhos, in Greater São Paulo. Camp juice is a leader in sales to the region.
General Brands is a company that managed to grow and stand out on the domestic market very fast. Despite being new, the company has 20% of the powdered juice market in Brazil.
Service
General Brands
www.generalbrands.com.br
comex@generalbrands.com.br
(+5511) 6413 1500
