Biscuit World Spring 2016 | Page 14

Expert view Branding Brazil: The fourth biscuit superpower Barbara Zec Brazil is the fourth largest biscuit manufacturer in the world. According to Euromonitor, it also ranks fifth on the list of the biggest per capita consumption in the world, behind Argentina, the UK, Italy and the US. M. DIAS BRANCO By Barbara Zec, MA of Visual Communications U ntil the mid-1990s, and the implementation of “Plano real”, this huge biscuit sector was mostly made up of family businesses. “Plano real”, or “The Real Plan”, was a set of measures that were used to stabilize the Brazilian economy. The new currency was intro- and PepsiCo, are right behind it. I would like to focus on domestic brands because we all know what an Oreo looks like and what it does to build a strong brand. It is always more interesting to see and learn something new and broaden our horizons. duced, inflation was kept under control and, as a result, many foreign companies entered the country. Many domestic companies were bought by large international brands. Today, one Brazilian company still holds the top spot in the market. However, the wellknown global giants, Nestlé, Mondelez The Brazilian public company, M. Dias Branco, is the leading producer of biscuits in the country. Manoel Dias Branco established the company in 1936 in Fortaleza, Ceará. He started the business with a bakery that produced bread, biscuits and pasta. In 1940, he expanded this, modernizing the production and partnering with his 1 3 2 4 14 Spring 2016 • BISCUIT WORLD