Soy sauce leader, Sakura studies selling snacks and beverages
Valor Econômico
In the 70's, when the small bottles of soy sauce, or Shoyu, were strangers to the Brazilian restaurants, Sakura, the largest producer of the product in Latin America, used a bold marketing strategy: "I will leave some three units here and, when a Japanese client comes by, offer it to him", used to say the company commercial representatives. Three decades later, the typical season of the Japanese cuisine went far beyond the oriental ghetto and can be found in any self-service restaurant. Now, Sakura is striving to reduce the sodium content in Shoyu, in order not to lose the consumer who seeks a healthy diet, and it studies getting into segments like snacks, teas and non-alcoholic beverages. "We already have a light version, with 35% less sodium, but we are developing a version with an even lower content of such ingredient", says Roberto Ohara, Vice-President of Sakura.
The plan of Sakura is to invest R$ 25 million (US$ 14.5 million) up to 2014, with its own funds, to improve the process of production of Shoyu, introducing new technologies to reduce its sodium content. The capital will be also invested in the increase of the mix of products, including its arrival in new categories. "We are studying getting into segments like snacks, teas and non-alcoholic beverages", says Ohara, from the third generation of executives ahead of the company, which was founded in 1940 and holds 80% of the market of soy sauce of the country - the remaining share is divided among Yoki, Cepêra and other companies. The product is responsible for 45% of the earnings of Sakura, which amounted to R$ 80 million (US$ 43.7 million) in 2008.
Diversifying the portfolio is not something new for Sakura. Even though its specialty is "cold liquid sauces" (Shoyu, pepper, Worcestershire and garlic), which amount to 70% of its sales, the company advanced towards pickles, sweet toppings, sake, liqueur and even wine in the last decade. Nearly 30% of the volume sold by the company is, in fact, manufactured by 22 suppliers. Among them are the São Paulo producers Predilecta (located in Matão), which produces the ketchup of the Kenko brand and Castelo (from Jundiaí), responsible for the rice vinegar of the company. But Sakura also produces the own brand of third parties, mainly of large retailers like Carrefour, Wal-Mart and Pão de Açúcar (to which it produces sauces and some pickles), and even of big companies, like Unilever, to which it supplies some sauces that take the Knorr brand.
While studying entering in new categories, the company is reorganizing the production in its four plants (three in the State of São Paulo and one in Goiás) in order to increase its efficiency. "The product mix is spread through the four units", says Ohara, who has been dedicating special attention to the Goiás plant. The plant has just received R$ 2 million (US$ 1.16 million) in investments to increase the production of the Brava pepper sauce, premium brand of the company, and whose increase in the portfolio resulted from a partnership with Embrapa (Brazilian Agricultural Research Company), in the research of new types of pepper. "Brazil has the greatest genetic cradle of peppers in the world, but it still has not created an identity in this market", says Ohara. That is another mission for the patient and determined culture of the Far East.