Mars Brasil invests US$ 8.7 million to produce more M&Ms
Valor Econômico 02/11/2009
Mars, one of the largest chocolate manufacturers of the world, will increase its operation in the Brazilian market. Good news for those who are into M&M's, main product of the company and one of the most popular chocolate candies of the planet. "We will increase the productive capacity of that line in up to 35%", says the CEO of Mars Brasil, Filipe Ferreira. In order to do so, the United States-based company is investing R$ 20 million (US$ 8.7 million) in the factory it has in the Country, in Guararema, at 80 km from São Paulo. In the country for only six years, Mars had an income of R$ 100 million (US$ 54.6 million) from its chocolate last year, a result 50% higher than the result reached in 2007, according to Ferreira. The percentage is astonishing since, according to the preliminary estimates of the Brazilian Association of the Industries of Chocolate, Cocoa, Candies and Derivates, the national market grew 12% in 2008. Mars currently has only 2% of the national market, which according to Nielsen meant R$ 2.9 billion (US$ 1.6 billion) in the retail sale to the consumer (exclusive of chocolate bars for melting, sales made by chocolate boutiques and other segments) in 2007. However, it is the leader in the chocolate candy, with 35% of the sales concentrated in M&M's; another ‘best seller' of the company is the Twix candy bar, which has 10% of the sales among the ‘candy bars', category lead by Lacta Bis.