The client partner, he built an Empire with just croissants

São Paulo-degree in tourism, the Gaucho Eduardo Silva managed a feat hard to imagine: Bill million selling stuffed croissants. The businessman is one of those responsible for the rise of Croasonho, the network that went from a shop on the coast of Rio Grande do Sul for a business with 73 units and that made R $100 million last year.
Founded 20 years ago by André Hanquet and Regina Severus, who opened the first store on the beach at Atlantis, on the coast of Rio Grande do Sul, the Croasonho only won with the musculature and your childhood friend Gustavo Susin, ten years after opening.
The first contact of the Executive with the brand was as consumer, while spending the holidays on the beach of Daniela, along with Susin. "That week we went three times at the shop and had the same reading: that product would make sense in Caxias do Sul," he says. The businessman, who had worked in large hotel chains (such as the Sheraton) and which at the time was the head of a company of industrial facilities, wanted to find a new business to invest as extra income.
After searching without success, franchise options, the two entrepreneurs decided that the Croasonho was the best investment option. With the conviction that the brand would succeed in your homeland, Silva and Susin brand owners sought and proposed the opening of a unit in the city of Caxias do Sul.
"At first we wanted just a supplemental income, but as soon as we opened the store she was so successful that virtually had to abandon our other businesses," he says. The expectation with the opening of operation, installed between two great schools of the city, was to sell 3000 monthly croissants. Already in the first month, however, the unit sold more than 12000 units.
Changing the mark
The transformation of the brand in a network of franchises came a few months after the two entrepreneurs have opened the store in Caxias do Sul. Silva counts that within two months of opening, which occurred in June 2009, a number of people began to find them interested in opening a franchise of Croasonho.
"Then we called the first lamp, we had to map the serra gaúcha, for anyone buying in Bento Gonçalves, lawn. But then came the second insight and we started to consider the possibility of being the franchisors ", explains.
To put the idea into practice, Scott Susin and proposed to the founders that they as partners and to take care of part of the franchise, while Andre and Regina would be ahead of the production of croissants. "It was a deal that worked very well for both sides, and in December 2009 we were already with the Croasonho Franchise in operation."
Since then, the company has grown at a fast pace, arriving at 73 stores and a turnover this year should reach R $110 million, the company estimates.
The good network performance attracted the attention of investors and about three months ago the Croasonho was sold to the Halipar Group. The Manager account that since 2012 investment funds and private equity firms began to search the company interested in buying the operation. "We talked with several players and we realized that it would be an inevitable movement forward. Would come a time when we were going to need a large group behind to be able to grow with strength. "
With the entry of the Halipar Group the company hopes to speed up the expansion of the brand. The intention for this year is that 30 franchises will be sold until December, and 10 of them are to open this year. Part of the expansion, is driven by the merger.
Challenges
In the process of expanding the network, Silva says that the biggest challenge of two entrepreneurs has been transforming the croissant, which was not a commonly consumed product by Brazilian, in an item, tap into client''s wishes.
"You grow in all regions of Brazil with a product that the Brazilian was not used is very difficult. We had to change that concept that everyone had, the croissant for breakfast, and today sell in all times of the day. Our sales peak in the late afternoon, from a 4:00 pm till a 7:00 pm. It was a very strong change we made. "
The bet of two entrepreneurs was to turn the product on brand. "We always thought that if the product turned the brand, that''s what happened, it would be very unlikely to have competitors. The gamble worked, "she concludes.