São Paulo – Mobiles, kaleidoscopes, dinosaurs, clowns, mermaids, knights and dragons. These are some of the products made by Gamar Brinquedos Educativos, which was established six years ago aiming at teaching and promoting joy to children using ecologically correct toys. With sales throughout Brazil and in nine countries in Europe, the company wants to expand its presence in the foreign market and to increase exports by 20% this year.
The creations by electronic engineer Maurício Gilson started when he decided to make a toy to please his own son, who was then aged two. The boy liked the invention so much that Gamar was born. The name results from mixing the names of his two kids, Gabriela and Marco Antônio.
The company currently has ten employees and produces over 1,000 toys a month at its factory in Rio de Janeiro. The basic raw material is wood, bought from demolitions or from the remains of the carpentry industry.
"We follow an ecologic philosophy. We use much organic material. I try to use as much alternative material as possible," said Gilson. Among the types of wood used in production of the toys are cedar, mahogany, birch and peroba (Brazilian hardwood).
Material like leather, for example, used for production of the clothes and adornments of dolls, is purchased from a coat factory in Rio Grande do Sul, while the wood is purchased from furniture factories in Rio de Janeiro.
The brand toys may be found at its own stores, two in Petrópolis and one in Teresópolis, both in the state of Rio de Janeiro, and in another 450 points of sale, being 40 abroad, among them art shops and bookstores.
In Europe, the products are already present in France, Germany, Belgium, Austria, England, Portugal, Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands. Today, less than 10% of company revenues come from exports, but the target for 2011 is to increase foreign sales by 20%. The next step for Gamar is the market in the United States. This year, Gilson should visit the Toy Fair, in New York. In 2012, he hopes to exhibit at the event.
Insertion in the foreign market was incidental, with an invitation to participate in a fair trade fair in Paris, in 2005. The success was such that two years later, the company returned to show its products at the same event. Currently, Gamar is the only Brazilian educational toy company with CE certification.
The businessman tells that the educational toy market represents less than 1% of the entire toy sector, and that Gamar toys are produced for durability and for reintegration into the environment. "Our toys are designed to last generations. It is a durable toy that, if disposed of, soon returns to nature."
According to Gilson, most of the buyers of Gamar toys are in the upper class, which avoids competition with Chinese products, which have low prices as their appeal. The cheapest Gamar toys cost between 40 and 50 Brazilian reals for end-users (US$ 25 to US$ 30). On the foreign market, the toys are sold to retailers for an average of 16 euros. "Our growth has been on average 30% to 40% a year," said the businessman, who does not inform company revenues.
The toys are sold directly to teaching institutions, and come with pedagogical cards in five languages: Portuguese, English, German, Spanish and French. The texts, written in partnership with psychologists and pedagogues, teach educators how to use the products in the development of kids.
Contact
Gamar Brinquedos Educativos
Telephones: (+55 21) 2208-1744
(+ 55 21) 3344-4391
(+55 21) 9339-3993
E-mails: comercial@magoobrinquedos.com.br
mauricio@magoobrinquedos.com.br
Site: www.magoobrinquedos.com.br
*Translated by Mark Ament
