Slice of small manufacturers have drastic fall

The soda Mineirinho, created in Ubá, Minas Gerais, estampa with pride the inscription "Since 1946" in its label alviverde. The product is manufactured today in São Gonçalo, Rio de Janeiro's metropolitan region, but despite this, the name remained the same. After seven decades, the drink with a basis of leather hat, herb that helps in the treatment of stomach and kidney problems, integrates the list of regional sodas are in extinction.
There are about 180 small producers in the country, a figure well below observed at the beginning of the year 2000, when there were about 850. These companies, which previously accounted for 30% of the sector, now have 10% market share of soft drinks, point data from the soft drink manufacturers Association of Brazil (Afrebras).
"The competition is very strong and large companies dominate the distribution chains. Our struggle is to survive, "says Marco Taboadela, which alongside Roberto Ferah, runs the company.
With 300 employees at its plant in about 24 thousand square meters, Ferah told that at the time, the production is low, in just one inning. "The World Cup is not being very good for us, because people take more beer. The cold weather also doesn't speak well, "he said, revealing that in summer the production came to grow approximately 25% compared to the same season last year, but it remained throughout 2014.
Still, the market remains Mineirinho, covers the entire state of Rio, and has a captive audience. Mineirinho is the fourth most remembered brand in the soft drinks segment, by the cariocas, behind only Coca-Cola, Pepsi and Guarana Antarctica, according to research from the newspaper "O Globo".
Other manufacturers attempt to diversify sources of revenue. "To survive, we're outsourcing our services. We are manufacturing and energy juices for other companies, "says the Director of production of soft drinks Piracaia, Hamilton Lima. The brand produces sodas with flavors Guarana, grape, lemon and orange. Currently, production is at about 30 thousand packages-crates with six bottles-units per day in 2007, the average age of 250 thousand. "My will, sometimes, is to drop everything," says Lima.
If sales are cold to the producers of soft drinks at the same time, a part of the industry is close to getting a fiscal boost. Is that at the beginning of the month, the plenary of the Chamber of Deputies approved the inclusion of manufacturers of soft drinks and of compounds for their production in a cinch. Now the Senate approval, which is expected to enjoy the project this month.
If it enters into force, the measure will give a "survival" to a part of the small producers of soft drinks in the country, but the trend is still negative for the segment as a whole, with the decrease in the number of companies. The evaluation is the President of Afrebras, Fernando Rodrigues de Barrios, representing small producers.
Of the nearly 180 small businesses of soda, approximately 33% have access to the tax benefit. These are companies with revenues of up to r $ 3.6 million per year.
"Our perspective is still negative, closing more companies in the next few years," says Neighborhoods, adding that recent achievements are still insufficient.
He said that, after the tax issue, Afrebras's efforts will be focused on talks with the Government to facilitate access to credit, via Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Econômico e Social (BNDES). Most small producers of soda is very indebted, which hinders access to this type of funding, care of neighborhoods.