São Paulo – Umbu sweets, jams and compote head straight from the interior of Bahia to tables in Austria, France and Italy. The green fruit is tasty, bitter to the right extent and is the main raw material used by the Family Agribusiness Cooperative of Canudos, Uauá and Curaça (Coopercuc). With 16 small factories in rural communities in the three cities, the cooperative includes 141 associates and 300 families involved in production of sweets made from umbu.
In 2011, Coopercuc hopes to process 160 tonnes of fruit, of which 112 are the cash cow and the remains are passion fruit from the savannah (green with purple pulp, different from the traditional version), mango and guava. That group also aims to open new markets in Brazil and abroad. The Arab markets are targeted.
Coopercuc produces sweets, jams, compotes, juice, mashed fruit, sauces and dried versions of its fruit. And, in Brazil, it already sells to Pernambuco, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, as well as trading in Bahia. "We are negotiating the sale of our products to retail chains that operate in the national market," explained the commercial representative at Coopercuc, Jucemar Cordeiro da Silva.
According to Silva, exports by the cooperative began in 2005, to France. The first contacts were made at a food fair in Italy. Some 25% of the sweets produced in the interior of Bahia are shipped abroad. "We have won the European market due to the flavour of the fruit and to the fact that our products are organic," he explained. "The proposal for conscious consumption has great appeal abroad," he said.
Growing abroad is one of the Coopercuc targets for 2011. "We are already making contacts. The Arab nations, for example, are very interesting," said Silva. "We know that they are great buyers of Brazilian products."
Among the news forecasted for expansion of sales are actions like the release of a sugar-free line. "We are in the testing phases and the expectation is to place these items on the market in 2011," said Silva. With or without sugar, according to the Coopercuc representative, the objective is to take flavours from the hinterland of Bahia to the greatest possible number of taste buds.
Contact
Coopercuc
Tel.: (+55 74) 3673-1428
Site: www.coopercuc.com.br
*Translated by Mark Ament
