Geovana Pagel*
São Paulo – Produced as of animals bred in pastures without the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers, and treated only with homeopathic medication, organic bovine meat attracts increasingly more consumers around the world. Eyeing this new and growing market niche, the slaughterhouse Friboi, largest in the country with annual revenue of about US$ 2 billion, created the line Organic Beef Friboi.
The line is includes 15 options of vacuum-packed raw cuts, amongst them, striploin, tenderloin, round steak, sirloin, shank and ribs, as well as a frozen product, the hamburger. The latter is a novelty as it is the first organic hamburger in Brazil.
Exports started together with the production of organic beef, at the end of 2004. Last year, on average, there were 24 tonnes of products shipped per month. "The aim is for exports to surpass 50 tonnes per month up to the end of 2006," stated Flávio Saldanha, marketing manager at Friboi. Amongst the main destination countries are the United Arab Emirates, France, Holland and Germany.
The company currently slaughters 1,000 heads of organic cattle a month and plans to double the figure up to the end of 2006. The animals come from farms in the midwestern Brazilian state of Mato Grosso. To guarantee the origin of the cattle, Friboi group established a partnership with the Brazilian Association of Organic Animal Farmers (Aspranor). The herd also has the approval of the Instituto Biodinâmico (IBD), the organization responsible for organic products in Brazil.
Hamburger
On the domestic market, Friboi has launched a unique strategy to promote its brand of organic meats. The group established a partnership with snack bar Hamburgueria Baby Burger, inaugurated in São Paulo on April 15th this year, to be the exclusive supplier of organic cattle beef hamburgers. In exchange brand Organic Beef will be promoted on the store menus. "This is the first time the company enters the area of restaurants and we are open to new partnerships in the sector," stated Saldanha.
Practically the only national group to operate in the organic beef sector, the slaughterhouse sells around 50 tonnes of cuts and industrialized products a month, distributed through large retail chains like Carrefour, Angeloni, Muffato, Mart Plus, Pão de Açúcar, Casa Santa Luzia and Sonda.
The forecast for this year is to increase the volume to 100 tonnes a month, thanks to the contracts signed with chains Wal Mart and Epa. "The search for organic products is rising in Brazil and the only limitation is the availability of organic cattle," he said.
The slaughterhouse also studies new partnerships with restaurants to promote industrialized beef brands Maturatta (especially for barbecues) and Cabaña Las Lilás (special, tender meats imported from Argentina). Of all the meats produced by Friboi, 40% are industrialized. The rest is sold raw. Sales, on average, total 1 million boxes and 4,800 tonnes of industrialized products.
According to Saldanha, next September, Friboi should release four new lines of industrialized products: aperitifs, ready dishes, stuffing and canned meats.
Friboi group
Established in the city of Anápolis, in the midwestern Brazilian state of Goiás, in 1953, Friboi group operates in the sectors of foods (raw meats, industrialized products and canned products), hygiene and cleaning products, farming (farms for cattle raising) and transport.
Currently, 44% of production of the food division is exported to 250 clients in over 70 countries. Five continents already consume products made by Friboi, which is considered the largest Brazilian beef exporter.
To give an idea of the magnitude of Friboi group, the company is among the four largest slaughterhouses in the world, slaughtering and processing 12,000 heads of cattle a day, with a capacity for slaughter of up to 15,000 heads/day.
Friboi group has 21 units and three farms in eight states in Brazil. In 2004 they built and established their head offices in the city of São Paulo, where the company management and administration is based. The head office is 70 kilometres away from Santos, where the main port in the country is located.
Friboi
Telephone: (+ 55 11) 3144 4000
Site: www.friboi.com.br
*Translated by Mark Ament and Silvia Lindsey
