Melitta increases investment in quality coffee
Valor Econômico 05/04/2009
In opposition to the coffee roasting sector, which previews a slowdown in the Brazilian consumption of coffee in 2009, Melitta promises to keep its investments in the country, mainly in order to consolidate the investments made in 2008, which assured strong growth in the sales of the company in the year. "We invested in new products in 2008 and had an excellent result in a year marked by the world financial crisis", affirmed the company's CEO in the country Bernardo Wolfson to Valor.
After researching, the company launched in the market coffee "blends" from three different regions of the country: Mogiana, from São Paulo, Cerrado from Minas Gerais, and from the South of Minas Gerais. The launching was made in Rio Grande do Sul in 2008 and this year it should spread to the Southeastern region, besides Paraná and Santa Catarina. The decision to differentiate the products brought good results to the company, according to Wolfson. In 2008, the company ended the year with earnings of R$ 598 million (US$ 326.8 million) - an increase of 12% compared to the previous year. For this year, the expectation is that the income increases, at least, 4%. Although it is a more modest growth if compared to the previous year, such a growth is considered relevant, taking into account that a great part of the roasting industries may end this year in the red. In Brazil for 40 years, the company has been responsible for 17% of the earnings of the group in the world, representing the greatest income outside Germany. For this year, the company will invest R$ 31 million (US$ 14.1 million), part of which will be intended for research and marketing, mainly, and another R$ 7 million (US$ 3.18 million) in investments in their plants, mainly in the modernization of equipment. According to data of the Abic (Brazilian Coffee Industry Association), Melitta, the fourth main roaster of the country, does not rule out the possibility of making acquisitions in order to expand its business, even though at this moment it is consolidating the most recent investments. The company has two roasting plants in the country - Avará (SP) and Bom Jesus (RS) - and a coffee filter plant in Guaíba (RS).