Wessel invests in unity and preparing for export

After 57 years in the bairro da Bela Vista, São Paulo, István Wessel says he's tired of "lean-to". The expert in noble cuts of meat is less than three months playing on Wessel's business a new industrial unit, located in Araçariguama, nearly 60 kilometers from the State capital. "I don't want more lean-to in my life," quips the entrepreneur.
The new industrial plant, where from now on are prepared the cuts of meat that Wessel provides for restaurants and retail networks in the country, begun two years ago and required investments of r $ 25 million, according to Daniel Wessel, son of István and commercial Director of the company. The factory has a constructed area of 5 thousand square meters, where 115 people. The old drive was 600 square meters.
Istvan Wessel took the decision to leave Sao Paulo because it was no longer possible to grow and expand production in the old drive, which was started in 1958 as a butcher shop, under the command of his father, the Hungarian émigré László Wessel.
Araçariguama plant, where were also installed new equipment, it will be possible to raise the production of 150 tons per month to 200 tons per month immediately, says Daniel Wessel. The biggest production will also meet new customers. "In the old factory, producing 2 thousand pounds of hamburger per day.
Now, can produce 1,500 pounds per hour ", exemplifies. Burger "made of beef", as István, is one of the main products of the company, which currently has in its portfolio noble cuts of bovine animals, swine, cuts of lamb and chicken. The company acquires beef and other meats of large refrigerators Brazilians and makes the cuts, in controlled portions, tailored to customers, system known as "taylor made".
According to Daniel Wessel, the production capacity of the new unit can reach 500 tons monthly, which means that it will be possible to further expand the volumes in the future.
The new plant also will allow the Wessel resume production of carpaccio, who had been outsourced in the past three years due to the lack of capacity at the plant from bairro da Bela Vista.
Wessel's plans with the new plant are ambitious and are not restricted to the domestic market. After being recognized in Brazil by noble cuts of meat, the company is now preparing to export. The new plant has been designed for this and is in the process of vetting by the Ministry of agriculture to sell abroad, according to István.
Initially the license for export is for the so-called "General list", which includes Middle Eastern countries, for example. "The focus are emerging markets that are serviced in volume and not in the niche, specialty," adds Daniel. An example of a product that could be exported to these markets is the Lamb Burger. According to István, the expectation is to start selling to other countries later this year.
The location of the new plant was not chosen at random. Besides being obsolete in terms of production capacity, the old drive, in the middle of the central area of São Paulo, faced problems as the traffic in the capital. In Araçariguama, the unit which entered into operation has the advantage of being nearby logistics of Castelo Branco Highway, with access to the capital and the interior.
Although the Wessel alive a moment of expansion and sales volumes as a result of investment in Araçariguama, the entrepreneur does not hide a certain concern about the effect of the crisis on consumption, especially in lower-income segments. "In food courts, we see a change of habit, with drop the 10% to 15% in volumes," esteem István Wessel. However, as the company is expanding the number of customers, this retreat is masked, explains.
The Wessel came to be probed by potential buyers in 2008, year with strong consolidation movement in the beef sector in Brazil. On occasion, Wessel said the company wasn't for sale, but admitted to evaluate proposals. In this new phase of Wessel, a business that seems far from the radar. "This is a moment of leverage that was invested," says Daniel Wessel.