São Paulo – Miamel, a producer and exporter of organic and conventional honey, with clients in Europe, the United States and Canada, wants to win new markets in 2009 and one of the bets is on the Arab countries. The company develops beekeeping projects with 78 beekeepers and over 50,000 hives, with production estimates of 1,500 tonnes of organic honey and 500 tonnes of conventional honey.
"We have already made contact with Arab importers by e-mail and telephone, but up to now we have not yet closed any deal," said Guilherme Castagna, export manager at Miamel. According to him, the contact with importers takes place in several ways, including participation in fairs, through agents, internet research and through the company site.
According to Castagna, in Europe the cash cow is Bracatinga honey, a rare product from the mountain ranges of Santa Catarina. Produced from the sap of this tree that is typical of the south of Brazil, it is rich in minerals and already figures in the list of functional foods. Due to its low levels of glucose, it is also recommended for diabetics. "As it is darker and bitterer than wild honey, it was sold very cheap in Brazil," stated Castagna. It all changed when they decided to send a sample of the honey to an importer in Germany. "It was very successful. So much so that they pay up to 30% more for Bracatinga bark honey," he said.
According to the businessman, the Castagna family started its beekeeping activities in 1984, with its own apiary with over 1,200 hives in the city of Içara, in the state of Santa Catarina. Five years later, due to the hardships of trading produce, but with a great desire to expand the business, they established Miamel.
In the early 2000s, with the brand already consolidated on the domestic market, Minamel started focussing on foreign sales. As a result of much negotiating and several trips to Europe, in November that year, the company sent its first container to Germany. Then came the United States and Canada.
In 2001, they exported 1,500 tonnes of honey. Currently the group has new installations, with a space of 2,044 square metres of built area, with capacity to expand their annual honey production to 4,800 tonnes of honey.
Minamel generates 25 direct jobs and has a network of representatives, distributors and collaborators in general. "Strong partnership established with several beekeepers guarantees quality raw materials and supplies the entire demand, be it for the domestic or for the foreign market," pointed out Castagna.
Minamel
Telephone: (+55 48) 3462.1020
E-mail: agenor@minamel.com.br
Site: www.minamel.com.br
*Translated by Mark Ament
