15th International Congress of Biscuit, Pasta and Industrial Bread and Cake Producers organized by the Brasilian Manufacturers Association of Biscuits, Pasta and Industrialized Breads & Cakes (ABIMAPI) was held in Brazil on 22-24 September 2016. The outstanding event held in Brazil gathered the leaders of biscuit, pasta and bread industry.

15th International Congress of Biscuit, Pasta and Industrial Bread and Cake Producers organized by ABIMAPI was held in the state of Santa Catarina, city of Florianapolis in Brazil on 22-24 September 2016. Participated by 15 international purchasing companies and 3 members of the press from Latin America, the US and the Middle East including BBM Magazine as well as leading company executives and entrepreneurs in the industry, the event was an opportunity for exchange of ideas to improve and strengthen the industry.

The congress focused on prioritized target markets, including South Africa, the US, Paraguay, Peru, as well as secondary markets, including United Arab Emirates and Panama. The Brasilian companies had also the opportunity to discuss business with importers/distributors from mexico, Saudi Arabia, Argentina and Uruguay. Claudio Zanão, President of the Association of Biscuits, Pasta and Industrial Bread and Cake Producers of Brazil (ABIMAPI), said the main subjects of the meeting concentrated on the consumption tendencies, market analyses of wheat- and grain-based products, and the impact of the crisis in the country.

The topics under discussion included national and international legislation, food regulations, strategies, relationship between people and brands, changes in the market, consumption during crisis period and the technological innovations for the future of the retail industry.

5 MAIN TITLES IN 3 DAYS On the 1st day of the 3-day seminar program where the expert speakers of their respective areas included, José R. Mendonça de Barros and Cristiana Lôbo gave a speech titled “Policies and Economy”. On the second day of the seminar, Thalita Lima and Lúcia Cruz delivered speeches in the first session titled “Regulations”, while Mario Narita and Fred Gelli shared their experiences in the second session titled “Marketing.” On the 3rd day, Fabiana Furquim and Tathiane Frezarin spoke on the title of “Retail”, and Fabio Gandour and Martha Gabriel made their presentations under the title of “Innovation”.

While the seminars attracted remarkable attention of the visitors, equipment and raw material suppliers presented their latest products in the exhibition area. There were also round table meetings participated by the international purchasing companies for the first time. With this event, organized in cooperation of the Brazilian Brasilian Trade and Investments Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) and the members of the ABIMAPI, Brasilian Biscuits, Pasta and Industrialized Breads & Cakes, Brazilian exporters had a chance to promote their products in the international market.

NOTES FROM BRASILIAN COMPANIES BBM Magazine was also among the three international invited publications of the 15th International Congress of Biscuit, Pasta and Industrial Bread and Cake Producers. For three days, Muhammed F. Akatay, Overseas Director of BBM Magazine compiled the products, technologies and innovations during his interviews with the representatives and executives of participating companies at the exhibition area as well as during site visits by the members of the press:

Bela Vista, Jorge Luis Conti Founded in Brazil by a Portuguese family, Bela Vista has been in the Brazilian market for 100 years. Jorge Luis Conti, officer of Bela Vista, said they export to Africa and the US, and have recently started operations in the Middle East. Conti said their raw materials primarily came from Brazil, and the flour was purchased from Argentina, and highlighted that they use natural ingredients in their products, such as actual orange juice instead of orange aroma. Conti said the company uses high-quality grains, and is the second company producing cookies for children.

Casa Mani, Antonio D. Fadel Antonio D. Fadel from Casa Mani, which produces tapioca mixture for pancake, said the pancakes can be consumed with chicken, cheese, hamburger or eggs. Furthermore, he said these pancakes can be consumed as deserts with chocolate or condensed milk. Regular chocolate bars are typically 100 calories while Casa Mani’s chocolate bars are only 66 calories. Fadel says the company exports to 8 countries, including the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France and England, and imports raw materials from California, New York, New Jersey and Miami, and highlights that the products did not include any additives or preservatives.

Casaredo, Tiago H. Kuhn Having started with production in the flour industry 50 years ago, the company currently runs operations in the biscuit and cake industry. Tiago H. Kuhn, the International Business Development Officer of Casaredo said they transitioned to the cake, biscuit and cookie industry 28 years ago, and they started working with Paraguay, Uruguay, Poland and Argentina. Distributing 10 varieties of products to 30,000 sales points across Brazil, Casadero employs approximately 600 people.

Cisbra Group, Alecson Thomas Stating that Cisbra Group was founded in 1992 as a leading supplier of bread, granola, flour, rye, grains and grain mixtures in Brazil, Alecson Thomas, the Industrial Manager of Cisbra Group, said, they import from Argentina, India, Canada and the US some products which cannot be produced locally due to temperature conditions. The company produces different varieties of bread with various grains, as well as gluten-free products.

Dauper, Lucas Lanzoni First founded in 1988, Dauper underwent a renovation process in 2014. Lucas Lanzoni, Commercial Manager of Dauper, said they produce cookies for McDonalds, and their clients include large companies such as Carrefour, Dia, Unilever, Nestle, Walmart and Pizza Hut. Lanzoni said the company produces for 30 percent of the whole Brazilian market. Dauper, specializing in the cookie industry with different varieties of quality cookies, uses chocolate drops in their products. Lanzoni highlighted that it is not very common in Brazil to find a company specializing in one area, and said “We export to the US, Australia, Korea, and Latin American countries, including Chile and Uruguay. Furthermore, we produce granole for Nestle and PepsiCo.”

Feinkost, Sandro da Conceiçao Founded in 1990 in Brazil, Feinkost has been exporting to Venezuela, Belgium and Curaçao islands since 2007. Sandro da Conceiçao, Feinkost Manager, said they also produce, low-fat, no-sugar honey granola, said their products include dried fruits, dried raisins and other mixed food, as well as gluten-free products.

Frutos Da Amazonia, Ana Paula Paura The CEO Iolane Tavares and Ana Paula Paura, Marketing Officer of the company, says Their company works with hundreds of women considering all value chain and is part of an entrepreneurial project for women empowerment, “We use Brazilian nuts and various fruits in our products. 70 percent of our products are fruits, and 20 percent are biscuits. We also sell jams to Germany.” Paura highlighted that they use organic, natural fruits in their products, and they do not use any additives or preservatives. Paura said the native people of the forest come together to collect Brazilian nuts, shelled fruits and other fruits for their products, and they do not use salt in production and use brown sugar. Frutas D’Amazonia sells its products to hotels, restaurants, small and medium sized liquor stores, offices and supermarkets. The company has signed a partnership agreement with Italy. Ana Paula Paura said 50 percent of their products is handmade, and 50 percent is industrially manufactured. She said they recently purchased more equipment looking forward to grow internationally.

Grani Amici, Graziela Luchini Founded in 2010, the company addresses the celian patients who cannot consume grains such as rye or wheat. A manufacturer of no-sugar bread, cake and toast bread, Grani Amici uses aromas of banana, chocolate, vanilla, coconut and apples in its products. Graziela Luchini, CEO, said they produce fresh products with short shelf-life, and they prepare tailored gluten-free, lactose-free and egg-free cake mixtures without using additives or preservatives. Luchini said till the middle of 2016 they were used to sell their products only locally. After agreement with an US company, they started exporting cheese rolls mixtures discovering new businesses opportunities. She added they plan exporting to Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile and other Latin American countries since the distance is acceptable.

M Dias Branco, César Reis Established as a tiny bakery in 1936, the company currently employs more than 16,700 people at 12 facilities across Brazil. César Reis, Export Director of the company, said they produce various food products including processed wheat, refined oils, margarine, crackers, noodle, vegetable cream, cake, snacks, toast bread and cake mixtures. Reis said they export these products to South America, Africa (Mozambique, Angola, Congo and Guinea) and Central America.

NHD Foods, Ana Ma Suss The company marketing gluten-free and lactose-free cookies, biscuits, cake and muffins, uses its own farms for manufacturing and does not use GMO. The CEO Angela Ma and Ana Ma Suss, Business Development and Innovation Manager at NHD Foods, said they have two brands, which are Good Soy and Belive, and said they use soy, rice and quinoa flour in their products. Operating in agriculture for 50 years, the company exports to Chile, Uruguay and Poland.

Pasticifio Fasson, Rogerio Almada Founded 70 years ago, Pasticifio Fasson runs operations in the bread and bakery industry. Rogerio Almada, a company official, said they are currently making research to export to Latin America, said they use Italian equipment and Brazilian raw materials in production.

Livre & Leve, Romanus Food Solutions, Andre Luiz Ribeiro Romano Producing 62 varieties of products for celiac patients, the company was founded in 1999. Andre Luiz Riberio Romano, the Manager of Romanus Food Solutions, said the shelf-life of their products is 1 year, and they process flour for various products such as bread, biscuits and cakes. Romanus Group works on specialized products such as gluten-free and lactose-free products.

Suavipan, Lucas Christino Founded 18 years ago, Suavipan produces sugar free, organic cookies and biscuits. Lucas Christino, Suavipan Marketing Manager said they just started exports, with products dispatched to Uruguay in July, and they are currently holding talks with Argentina and are planning to hold talks for exports to the US. Suavipan is planning to export organic food to Germany and France. The company produces products with low fat and salt content, low-calories and high fiber content.

Village, Michelle Krynski Active in the Brazilian market for a decade, Village produces chocolate, Easter eggs, cookies, cakes, bread and popcorn. Michelle Krynski, International Business Analyst at Village, said the company draws attention with their products customized with cartoon characters for children. The company has been exporting caramelized popcorn for 3 years. Krynski said they export to Chile, Peru and the US with 100 different grain-based products.

Bauducco, Rafael Narciso Bauducco history began in 1952, when an Italian immigrant, Rafael Narciso, brought his recipes to Brazil. Nowadays, the company has become the biggest industry of baked products in the country and the biggest producer of Panettones in the world with the capacity to produce more than 200,000 tons per year. Rafael Narciso de Souza, Sales manager in charge of Europe and Asia at Bauducco, said Bauducco products have won more than 50 countries. He stated that their products are prepared with special grains and fiber and are healthier, nutrious and low calori.

Selmi, Fábio Costa Inaugurated in 2000, the Sumaré unit is considered the most modern plant in South America. Fábio Costa, Export Manager of Selmi says in addition to the pasta factory, the Sumaré unit also has a plant for the production of cakes and biscuits. Selmi delivers its Italian recipes in more than 30 countries on 4 continents. The products which are made only with ingredients selected and rigorously analyzed are consisted of pasta, biscuits, noddle, cakes, olive oil, cake mix and flour.