São Paulo – Operating in Brazil since 2002, Gebana, originally Swiss, exports organic soy produced by 350 small farms in the city of Capanema, in southwestern Paraná. Today, company exports go to France, Germany and the Netherlands, but the company wants to diversify markets and is interested in the Arab world. Gebana sells soy in grain and also processed soy.
"We do not know much about the organic product market in the Arab world. It is an interesting market to be studied," said Jonathas Baerle, commercial manager at Gebana. One of the focal points is expanding sales of soy lecithin, a kind of gum removed from soy oil. Currently, the company exports between 12 and 15 tonnes of the product, but aims to reach 25 tonnes. Lecithin is used mainly in the chocolate and chocolate drink industry.
"We are seeking a great end user, like a chocolate factory, or a distributor in the area of organic products," said the executive. According to him, the company has not yet started prospecting the Arab market, but has a partner in Argentina who should start the contact with the Middle East.
We work in the Fair Trade system, in which producers receive a minimum price for the crop sold and, in some cases, a bonus. Gebana also operates in maize, wheat, beans and banana.
Of the eight thousand tonnes produced a year, 6,000 are soy and the remaining volume, other products. Of this total, 70% is for export and 30% goes to the domestic market. In Brazil, Gebana sells to the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Ceará, Goiás and Espírito Santo. "We are trying to be more aggressive on the domestic market, but seeking new clients on the foreign market," said Baerle.
Among the countries that already import Brazilian products, France is the main buyer, importing mostly products for animal consumption, while Germany buys mainly soy for human consumption.
Gebana also has branches in the Netherlands, Burkina Faso and Tunisia. In the Arab country, the company works with the export of dried fruit to Europe. In Brazil, the branch has 35 employees and annual revenues of US$ 5 million, of which US$ 3.6 million come from exports.
The company came to Brazil attracted by production of organic products in Capanema, which was already significant despite incentives to farmers. The fact that the region is alongside Iguaçu national park, where the cultivation of genetically modified products is prohibited, assisted in the development of organic agriculture. Apart from production in Capanema, Gebana also works with producers from Londrina, also in Paraná, from Assis, in São Paulo, and from Andresito, in Argentina.
Paraná has the largest number of producers of organic products certified by Brazil. According to the last agricultural census of the Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics (IBGE), disclosed in 2006, the state had, at the time, 7,527 organic producers, of which 909 are certified.
Contact
Gebana
Tel.: (+55 46) 3552-1614
E-mail: jonathas@gebana.com.br
Site: www.gebanabrasil.com.br
*Translated by Mark Ament