Castelo foresees increasing share in up to 15% on olive oil market
DCI
Castelo Alimentos already celebrates the year-end results in view of the perspective of achieving 10% to 15% of the sale of olive oil in the national market with the traditional Christmas dinner. The product was launched in March this year after a survey in Portugal, country internationally known for its excellence in the cultivation of olives and production of olive oil. With the mix of new products added to its portfolio, which also has a line of powder seasonings, launched in May this year together with salad sauces, Castelo expects to close 2010 with growth of at least 10% compared to last year. Should the forecast be confirmed, its earnings will go from R$ 50 million (US$ 29.4 million) to R$ 55 million (US$ 32.4 million).
The Managing Director of Castelo Alimentos, Marcelo Cereser, said that in order to enter with the olive oil on the market this year, the company made an intense research work last year seeking to understand the Brazilian consumer expectations as regards aroma and acidity, to then seek a formulation that pleased the consumers looking for the special features of the market leaders such as oils Gallo, Andorinha and Carbonell. "Samples of olive oil were changed several times, with different mixtures of types of olives until we got to what we were able to identify as being the Castelo standard of oil", he says. As a result, the company launched a product with low acidity, maximum of 0.5% in the extra virgin olive oil Castelo and 1% for the 100% pure olive oil Castelo.
The Jundiaí-based company also increased its presence in the segment of sauces and seasonings. The mix of the formulation in that line was prepared by the Research and Development Department of Castelo and the bottling is carried out externally. The company made tests and researches on a comparative panel compared to the competition. Castelo Alimentos is the leader in the national segment of vinegar for domestic use, with nearly 30% of the market, representing 65.3 million liters produced in 2009. In 2010, the company foresees the production of 68.2 million liters of vinegar for domestic use. The product mix (seasonings, sauces and canned foods) already represents 8% of total sales of the company. For 2010, the company expects to get to 12%. Cereser also bets on an increase in the sale of other products with the arrival of summer, occurred last week.