São Paulo – Vonpar, the company that owns chocolate brand Neugebauer, has ambitions plans in the Arab market. The food division at the company plans to introduce its brands to all the Arab countries in up to one year. This information was disclosed by the Vonpar export manager, Alejandro Regalini. Apart from Neugebauer chocolate, which is renowned in southern Brazil, the Vonpar food division also includes Wallerius sweets and lollipops and Mu-Mu dairy. Of the three brands, Wallerius products are already made following halal specifications and are exported, being the company’s most sold products in the Arab world, according to Regalini.
To the export manager, from one year to date, sales to the Arabs have already risen 80% and represent 20% of the total sold abroad. In the region, the food division at Vonpar already exports to Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, Palestine, Egypt and Algeria. The Algerians and Yemenis have been buying from the company for the longest, but the other countries were opened less than a year ago. The initiative was by Regalini, who entered the company in 2009 and is of Lebanese descent, as well as Italian. Regalini entered Vonpar bringing contacts with Arab clients – from his operation in other sectors – but he aims to expand his client portfolio.
“We aim for our exports to reach all the Arab countries,” he said. In the second half of the year, the manager hopes to travel to the region to find new importers. He is also already seeking sales in Iraq and in other countries, like Iran and Pakistan. Expanding Vonpar food exports in general is one of the current company targets. The food division, in fact, was only created last year, after the Vonpar purchase of brands Neugebauer, Mu-Mu and Wallerius. For this reason, each of the brands is at a different phase regarding exports.
Wallerius already exported through trading companies and is traditional on the foreign market, whereas Mu-Mu was not exported and Neugebauer exported little. In late 2009, all three brands sold to between 30 to 35 countries. This year, up to now, the products are already shipped to 50 nations, according to Regalini. Neugebauer, he says, is already the second main chocolate brand in Uruguay and the fourth in Palestine. The Wallerius products are ladled in Arabic and those of the other brands should undergo the same process, with professionalization and structuring of exports.
Vonpar group is better known for its beverage area in Brazil, as it produces, bottles and distributes Coca Cola in Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina, both in southern Brazil. In the area of food, the company currently has three factories, Neugebauer, in Porto Alegre, Mu-Mu, in Viamão, and Wallerius, in Arroio do Meio, all in cities in Rio Grande do Sul. Aiming at greater exports, however, the company should build a new food unit in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre. In 2009, Vonpar turned around 20% of production to the foreign market, and the total should rise to 35% this year.
According to figures published on the Vonpar site, the food area generates annual revenues of 250 million reals (US$ 140 million) and has 1,000 employees. MuMu was established in 1945 and produces milk sweet MuMu, also popular in southern Brazil, as well as UHT milk, fruit sweets, cereal bars and jams. The most traditional Wallerius products are the Beija Coração lollipop and Mocinho sweets. Neugebauer makes products like Amor Carioca and Stikadinho chocolates. In the area of beverages, Vonpar produces Coca-Cola and is a distributor of Femsa Cerveja Brasil, which includes beer brands like Heineken, Bavaria and Kaiser.
Contact
Vonpar
E-mail: alejandro.regalini@wallerius.com.br
Telephone: (+55 51) 3337 3900
*Translated by Mark Ament
