Caracol Chocolates put in products with functional appeal

Get featured on the national market of chocolates is not a very easy task, but the brand name Gaucho Snail Chocolates is determined to conquer relevance, acting in the space between Copenhagen and cocoa Show. To implement this project, the manufacturer specific niches such as the bet of handmade sweets and functional appeal. In 2014, the company will launch, among other products, a chocolate based on Whey Protein, protein extracted from whey.
"We don't want to compete in the market with the Copenhagen or Cocoa Show. We realize that there is a gap between them, since the first acts in a more niche luxurious, while the second is in a most popular category. We intend to act in this space available between the two, "explains the food engineer and responsible for the area of research and development at Caracol Chocolates, Corina Rangel, in an interview with DCI.
Thus, the latest scheduled for next year are already part of the stroke expansion project by the company. Until the end of January 2014, the brand will launch the Save, which integrates the Snail line, consisting of four other Vita types: Relax, Strengthen, Beautify and Reduce.
"We decided to launch the store in January, because we wanted to register it as a functional food. Others also follow this line, but not to run the risk of another company to launch something before we put them on the market without the functional record so as not to lose the opportunity, "says Corina.
The new product will be launched together with the second batch of Snail Vita line. The first wave was responsible for marketing of 5 thousand units, which caused the company to start manufacturing the second batch.
The "new batch" will also feature with another differential: the use of organic cocoa. "We want to present a very different product, so we seek suppliers located in the State of Pará in the northern region," says the expert.
Save, for example, will consist of 85% organic cocoa ally the carotenoids lutein and lycopene, known as natural pigments with powerful antioxidant action. These assets are able to quench free radicals cause premature aging of the cells and common diseases of age.
"The organic cocoa will be sent to us by the Brazilian Cocoa Industry [IBC], an institution responsible for processing the cocoa grown by small producers do Pará", he says.
According to the expert, the price of organic cocoa is twice the generic. "While a kilo of generic cocoa costs $ 14, the same amount of organic sells for $ 30," he says.
Currently, Brazil is the third largest market of chocolates in the world, registering a per capita consumption of 2.8 kg on average, according to data from the Brazilian Association of the Industry of Chocolates, cocoa, peanuts, hard candies and derivatives (Abicab).
To take advantage of this scenario, the Gaucho company has also studied its entry into new market niches. According to Corina, the Snail must launch until March next year a chocolate Whey Protein-based, active very used by patrons of the Academy.
"The number of academies and people concerned about their power and with his physical well-being grows increasingly. And they want it all with Whey Protein, a protein extracted from whey during the manufacturing process of cheese, "says Corina.
According to the expert, the new product already is in the process of development, with its formulation already defined. "What it takes is the creation of the packaging," explains. The Snail Chocolates closed last year with a total turnover of R $ 12.4 million.
This number should grow in the coming years due to the ambitious expansion project designed by the company. Until 2017, the Gaucho company seeks to achieve a turnover of approximately $ 50 million.
In addition, the company also intends to rely on approximately 150 franchised stores across the country until 2018. Currently, the Chocolate Snail has a plant located in the city of Gramado, in the interior of the State of Rio Grande do Sul.
The good results registered by the market segment of chocolates in Brazil are encouraging the continuous business investments in new products, in addition to improvements in the manufacturing space. This movement also attracts the interest of foreign brands.
Earlier this month, market information raised the chance of a possible partnership between the Brazilian company Cocoa concert with Lindt or Switzerland with Godiva Belgian. The junction with one of these marks help the Brazilian to diversify its operations.
The Cocoa Show would be responsible for national production of one of the chocolates that make up the portfolio of Lindt or Godiva. Wanted by the DCI report yesterday afternoon, the company informed that doesn't comment speculation market.