Total Snacks: Global Strategy

Top-level technology, state-of-the-art equipment and the Brazil's present status as the most important country in the production of commodities and foods all make Total Alomentos S.A. the newest "global player" in the snack and pet food market. From the green to the gene revolution, according to North American researcher Norman Borlaug, the winner of the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1970, Brazil has a primary role not only in the production of food, but also in the dissemination of technology. Mowadays, Total Alimentos S.A. has joined the ranks of those with this responsibility, thanks to its strategic location and its 29 years of experience in animal nutrition. "We're just finishing our project of investments in technology, diversification of products and production capacity to load 30 containers at once from the distribution center of the company" says Mr. Antonio T. Miranda, chairman and CEO of the company.

Blessed with tropical weather and with dimensions making it more the size of a continent than a country, Brazil is free from BSE and foot-and-mouth disease, and is also renowned for the safety of its well-known "green beef", from beef cows which are raised in pastures and whose feed is supplemented only with vitamins and minerals. Cats are carnivorous and dogs prefer the taste of animal-based ingredients which are readily available at present in Brazil, currently considered to be the largest poultry and bovine meat exporter in the world. "We are confident that due to the animal-based ingredients used in the formulation of our premium and super-premium pet food products, we'll soon become the largest international snack and pet food suppliers, as well," states Mr. Miranda.

Among the Total Alimentos S.A. Pet Food products range, the Snack Division has drawn quite a bit of attention in recent years, with the focus on functional products designed to promote good breath in pets, to reduce the odour of stools, promote intestinal health, skin and coats, joints, and immune system maintenance as well as other health aspects, in addition to the production of energy and cereal bars.

In the last three years, new technologies were developed in the Company's Research Site in conjunction with Wenger Technical Center in Sabetha, Kansas, USA and the nutritional support of Dr. Jim Corbin, who has a PhD in Animal Nutrition from the University of lllinois – Champaigne / Urbana, lllinois, USA. Unique products such as the filled co-extruded products, high-fat powder bars, marble products, sandwiches, sticks, strips and co-extruded bones, produced by a combination of twin extruders, are developed and tested in a kennel which is home to 180 American Fox Hounds and German dogs and in a facility housing 100 cats.

There are eleven production lines for extruded and co-ex-truded pet foods and snacks and the company constantly pursues improvement in quality and professional customer service, endorsed by Bureau Veritas International accreditation in ISO-9001 and by SGS – Group-Societe generale de Surveillance – accreditation in GMP – Good Manufacture Practices.

Snacks are added-value products that are labour-inten-sive as these small packages must be placed in individual displays, clip-strips and constant products and packages innovation. In addition, its production requires massive investments in advanced and exclusive equipments. This is often the reason why many Pet Food manufacturers and pet product distributors do not have their own production of a diversified line of snacks for dogs and cats. And this is precisely Total Alimentos' goal：to provide the market with distinctive and long-life snacks, under its own brands or via private-label marketing, products which are highly competitive in the global pet products  market.

Tota Alimentos sells its range of products an develops  the branded goods through its sales officee in Campinas-SP, Brazil as well as through its sales and marketing office in Chicago, under the direction of Mr. Charles Ferreira, president and CEO of Rush Direct Company.

PETS International Magazine (ISSUE 3,2004)