São Paulo – Shoe and component maker Donna is small, but dreams big. Installed in the Manuel Raimundo de Sousa Shoe Hub, in Campina Grande, in the state of Paraíba, the company started producing in 2001 and one year later had already shipped its first containers to the foreign market.
Nowadays the shoes made by Donna brand are exported to Chile, Ecuador, Venezuela, the Guianas, Germany and Angola. Soon, they should also arrive in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. "We made contact with an importer in Dubai during the Francal (a shoe sector fair in São Paulo) last year and are planning to continue with the business," stated one of the partners at the company, Francimar Rodrigues de Carvalho.
"He was very pleased with our more sophisticated line of shoes, with more daring models and different design," she said. The same models are among those most sold to the importer in Germany. "We have two professionals, one stylist and one medallist, who work full time on the development of new products seeking to align technology, comfort, durability and style," pointed out the businesswoman.
One of the secrets of the company success, according to Carvalho, is diversification. Apart from female shoes, Donna produces handbags, components like shoe soles, inner soles and heels. The shoe factory employs 40 people who produce around 1,200 pairs a day in high season and 600 pairs a day in other months of the year. The component factory, in turn, has 27 employees who produce on average 5,000 components a day.
The company has a showroom in Chile and another in Venezuela. Of the total produced in 2008, 30% was shipped abroad. Shipments of products to the foreign market are through the ports of Rio Grande do Sul, Santos and Viracopos airport, in the interior of São Paulo.
"Apart from buying our products, the clients also purchase products from two factories in São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul, and they prefer to pack them all together in containers. This way, it is cheaper for them," she explained.
On the domestic market, Donna works with representatives in the states of Santa Catarina, Rio de Janeiro, Goiânia, Pernambuco and Ceará. The company also started a franchise system. "We already have a franchise in Paraíba and three in Rio Grande do Norte and are now negotiating the installation of an exclusive shop in Brasília and two in Goiânia," pointed out the businessman.
In January this year, the factory called great attention of visitors at Couromada, a fair in the shoe sector that took place in São Paulo, and the owners were surprised with the growth in exports of low sandals. "Our exports rose over 100% when compared to January 2008. With the dollar rising, importers are fleeing Chinese products and seeking more style and quality," she said.
Among the most recent news for the company, Carvalho points out the Comfort line, with 10-centimetre-high-heeled sandals that are extremely comfortable. "We developed an inner sole with expanded EVA foam, which is very comfortable and has a memory, always returning to the original form," she said.
Contact
Telephone: (+55 83) 3333 3978
Site: www.beladonna.com.br
E-mail: dona@beladonna.com.br
*Translated by Mark Ament
