São Paulo – A company based in Alumínio, 83 kilometres from São Paulo state’s namesake capital, is profiting from a pioneering initiative: making and selling bottled sugarcane juice that lasts for up to eight months. The idea was so successful that Susten, the company which manufactures Kanaí, is already exporting the beverage to Europe, and is in talks to sell the product to Asia and North America. The director of Susten, Rafael Tadeu Luques says the company has been in touch with trading companies in order to sell the product in the Middle East and Africa.
Luques says he decided to invest in bottled cane juice when a foreign friend visited Brazil, tasted the product and wanted to bring it home to his family. But sugarcane juice, known as garapa in the country, deteriorates fast, so his friend was unable to take some of the product to his relatives.
However, Luques decided to invest in the drink and achieve what no one else had yet: selling bottled cane juice. The sweet drink is traditionally extracted immediately before consumption. Before setting up Susten, in October 2011, Luques took three years developing the project. The company started producing in July 2012.
“The biggest challenge was devising the process, which no one else had managed yet. Therefore, a lot of testing took place at renowned laboratories before we were able to make 100% natural, preservative-free cane juice with an eight-month expiration date, with no need for refrigeration,” says Luques.
To develop his project, Luques drafted a business plan and sought aid from the Brazilian Micro and Small Business Support Service (Sebrae). He will not disclose the secret to making the preservative-free juice. This piece of information is patented. Prior to reaching the shelves of supermarkets and snack bars, the product is submitted to a quality control that ensures that the flavour and sugar content are in keeping with standards.
Luques does not disclose the company’s revenue range or the amount of bottles sold per month either, but says he has capacity for 1 million. The director of Susten says sales to Europe account for 40% of the company’s overall exports.
But his plans do not boil down to just exporting. Luques plans on opening branches of the company, which he defines as “small, young, and direct to the people.” He also plans on broadening Kanaí’s portfolio by adding flavours to the cane juice, including cane juice with lemon, pineapple, ginger, and passion fruit.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
