Tortuga debuts in pet food area
Valor Econômico
Tortuga starts today a new stage in its business. Traditionally known for its expertise in the nutrition market for production animals - cows, pigs, and poultry, among others - the company will also start operating in the segment of pet nutrition. With a total investment of R$ 13.5 million (US$ 7.5 million), the group will start producing and selling a complex of vitamins for dogs and cats, given to the animals as a food supplement. Of that amount, R$ 12 million (US$ 6.7 million) concerns the acquisition of the line of animal health of Minerthal, which was acquired last year and will be the basis for products for pet nutrition. The other R$ 1.5 million (US$ 833 thousand) will be invested in the line of products itself, under the Vitamici brand.
And the strategy of the company is not to operate in the segment of feed, a market that has been going through a fall in the prices with the increase of competition in recent years. The focus will be the products with greater added value, mainly aimed at the Southern and Southeastern regions of the country. The entrance in the market of pet nutrition will strengthen its work in this segment. In the case of animal husbandry, the company already has 45% of the market share. The company produced 460 thousand tons, volume that represented growth of 10%. For this year, the company projects new growth of 15%.
In the case of supplements for pets, Max Fabiani, President of Tortuga, makes no comments about the volumes to be produced or the projections of insertion into the market. "We have little experience in this segment, but we are going to use the knowledge we have in organic minerals for livestock for this new market", says Fabiani.