In Brazil, multi and Brazilian throw coffee capsules

In Brazil, the sets of individual doses of coffee began just over a decade, with filter paper sachets. Aluminum capsules, launched by Nestlé, with Nespresso brand, came later. Today, more than fashion, they are becoming habit among consumers and attract companies like the Dutch Master Blenders (ex-Sara Lee) and the Brazilian Coffee Utam and Lucca Cafes.
The Master Blenders and Coffee Utam started to import and sell capsules this year in Brazil, cheaper than those of Nestle. The Lucca, Curitiba, starts production in May.
With an investment of r $ 1.2 million in the year, the Coffee Utam, Ribeirão Preto (SP), signed a partnership with the Portuguese Kaffa Caffè. Will import 4 million exclusively of coffee capsules until the end of 2013. The capsules, released in March on the market and sold in São Paulo and Minas Gerais, are compatible with Nespresso machines and cost between 10% and 20% less than the brand disclosed by actor George Clooney. In July, the Utam will launch its own machine, Utam Uno.
"Despite the capsules be compatible with Nespresso, we prioritize capsules produced with selected grain in several countries, to the formation of ' exclusive ' blendings of high quality, in order to avoid that the product was marketed as a generic in the market", says the Director President of Utam, Ana Carolina Soares de Carvalho.
What attracts the Utam for business is a new market and growth prospects. In 2011, according to research by Kantar Worldpanel: there were 450 thousand espresso machines-including capsules, sachets and grains-for domestic consumption in the country. Last year this number reached 850 thousand machines. "The consumer is changing the habit of drinking coffee attracted by innovation, quality and cheaper machines", says the Executive Director of the Brazilian coffee industry Association (Abic), Nathan Herszkowicz.
According to market estimates, most capsules that supplies the Brazilian consumption comes from Switzerland, where is the headquarters of Nestle, owner of Nespresso and Dolce Gusto. But Portugal is starting to reach the "alternative capsules", also compatible with these coffee makers. The movement began in Europe, according to Herszkowicz when about two years ago, coinciding with the fall of some Nespresso patents, countries like Germany and France began to buy Portuguese cheaper capsules.
The Lucca Cafes roasting and sells 20 types of Brazilian coffees considered special by the type of cultivation and small-scale preparation and especially by its source CA. A year ago, seeing that lost customers migrating to the convenience of the espresso coffee machine with capsules for consumption at home, entrepreneur Luiz Otavio de Souza decided to make your own capsules. Went on to import the packages from a supplier in France that were manually filled by employees with Brazilian specialty coffees.
"The quality was to be desired because the capsule was fragile and inaccurate dosage, which gave difference in flavor," says Sharma. Went then to the proper manufacture of capsules, in Curitiba. The first, in ten versions of cafés, will reach the market in may, with the name Sun.
Will be produced between 1 million and 2 million capsules per month, compatible with Nespresso coffeemakers to an average price of $ 1.30. The Nespresso costs from $ 1.50. "Consumers will have Brazilian coffees offer and will not be restricted to a single vendor," says the entrepreneur, who does not fear a Nespresso process per copy. "After several legal experiences, they [Nestle] understood that the system is now in the public domain".
The multinational Master Blenders released in February in the Brazilian market the Coffee capsules from L'or, sold in Coffee cafes and 84 compatible with Nespresso machines. The product is also marketed under the name of local brands of coffee in several European countries and in Australia. With six different coffee blends, the capsule costs $ 1.49.
Since September, the Delta Cafés, of Portugal, is in Brazil with capsules and two models of imported coffee machines. Their products are compatible with each other and sold on the website and in the shop located in the city of Vitoria (ES) as well as some retail chains.
For the Italian Lavazza, there are 15 years in the country, the focus is on the market for hotels, restaurants and businesses, in which it is present through import. "We import the capsules of Italy, mainly to enable us offer a wide range of ' blends ' with particular flavors from other producing countries such as Central America, Africa, India, Indonesia and others," says the General Manager of Lavazza Brazil, Cesare Noseda.