Blanver closes supply agreement for Unilever of USA
DCI
Blanver - specialized in the production of inputs for the food and pharmaceutical industries in more than 90 countries - has been homologated by Unilever for the supply of cellulose gel (Tabulose SC) which, among other functions, is used in the process of reduction of calories of industrialized products. "The contract with the North American Unilever is strategic because that should help us achieve more food companies, mainly in Brazil. Today we are better known abroad than in our own country", says Sergio Frangioni, Director of Blanver Farmoquímica Ltda.
In 2010 the company sold more than 10 thousand tons throughout the world through its network of distributors. The manufacturing is made in the unit of excipients in Itapevi, in the Metropolitan Region of São Paulo, and with the new contract, the expectation is to increase the earnings in US$ 15 million, nearly US$ 24 million in about five years.
Unilever uses the inputs in the manufacture of ice cream made in 11 plants in the United States and Canada. The first batches start being delivered at the end of the first half of 2011. "Initially, small batches will be delivered, but the expectation is that the volume increases gradually, exceeding 2000 tons a year", explains Frangioni.
The pharmo-chemical unit of Blanver, in Itapevi, has 250 employees and productive capacity of more than 12 thousand tons of products a year. That places it among the three largest world producers, accounting for 8% of the total volume of the segment. Still on this area, there is a plan to increase the production in 30% of cellulose gel in the second half of 2011 and next year.