União trademark to baptize premium chocolate powder
Valor Econômico
One or two years ago, when a person thought of Cosan, sugar and alcohol, areas in which the company is already the number one in the world, would immediately come to his/her mind. Since last year, however, such image also started being strongly associated to the fuel distribution area, when the company purchased the gas stations of Esso, and then, those of Petrosul and, more recently, when it announced the negotiation with giant Shell. Other strategic areas are also becoming stronger, such as logistics, with Rumo, which has an ambitious investment plan and high potential for gain. But the novelty that is to come is that the company also has bold plans for the area of food ingredients, whose products add from two to six times more value than traditional sugar.
The first target of the company will be the market of chocolate powder, in which the company wants to be at least the third major player in the country, only behind leaders Nescau (Nestlé) and Toddy (PepsiCo). "Our focus is to be the third strongest player in chocolate powder", says the Vice President of Cosan, Colin Butterfield, who a month ago took the lead of Cosan Alimentos. The company already has the chocolate powder of the brand called Da Barra in its portfolio. But a still "minute" participation in sales, says the Executive without mentioning figures.
The strategy is to make a repositioning of the chocolate powder, which would receive a more premium blend, adding more cocoa to it, for instance. The product would bear the trademark União, which is seen by the consumers as a traditional brand and leader of the sugar market. União was acquired last year together with the assets of the sugar and alcohol group Nova América, in financial difficulties at the time. It is the first in the sector, with 30% of the market, in its various lines - from powdered sugar to light sugar, besides the traditional refined sugar, according to Melchiades Terciotti, Director of Cosan. Therefore, with the merger, Cosan, which already had 10% of the market with Da Barra, got ahold of nearly half of the sale of sugar in the country. "The União brand is a ‘premium' brand. As for Da Barra, it has a price positioning for the benefit it delivers. The idea now is to take advantage of the opportunities to give more value to our products with the União brand", says Terciotti.