The company Conserveira do Sul, one of the business references in the Algarve, was bought by a group of Portuguese investors led by Grow Capital Partners. The move was made official today, the 19th, and will not imply, in a first phase, the removal of the descendants of the founder António Jacinto Ferreira, who for four generations have managed the company based in Olhão.
Even so, the continuity of the Ferreira family will only be to facilitate the company's transition to its new leadership, since Conserveira do Sul is now 100% controlled by the new owners.
«The transaction has immediate effects and implies the entry of a new management team, which will be led by Domingos Lopes, a manager with extensive experience in domestic markets in FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) and, in the last two years, very focused on the markets global,” according to the new heads of the company that produces canned foods under the Manná and Good Boy brands, among others.
The new shareholders "aim to continue the management carried out by the former owners for already four generations — the transition to the fourth had recently begun".
The idea is to continue the work that was already being done by this company, which «has about 100 employees and a strong installed production capacity and commercial brands with a reputation in the domestic market» and take it even further, namely across borders.
In addition to the effort to grow the domestic market, which will continue, the gradual increase in exports is seen by the new executive director as “strategic and fundamental” for the company's healthy development over the next few years.
«The volume of exports by Conserveira do Sul has the capacity to grow sustainably until reaching the possible values in this sector», he believes.
To ensure that there are no bumps in the passing of testimony and that there is “a natural transition”, the new administration will be accompanied by the founding family over the next few months.
“It is essential to maintain the current stable course of the company in order to continue to serve our thousands of consumers well and, of course, to ensure our employees and team a quality work environment. Currently, the company's culture is already in that direction», says Domingos Lopes, adding that the connection between Conserveira do Sul and Olhão and the community where it operates will continue.
«A relevant, competitive company with a future is an important base for any community to grow healthily, especially in times as uncertain as those we live in today», says Domingos Lopes, who emphasizes the fact that «Conserveira do Sul is inserted in an environment where there is such valuable human capital, with years and years of experience in a traditional Portuguese sector and, on top of that, with the advantage that these people and this company have clear differentiating factors, namely their unique brands and products».
On the part of the Ferreira family, who pass on the testimony of Conserveira do Sul 70 years after its foundation, there is a natural nostalgia at the time of farewell, but also a feeling of accomplishment.
“This is like a son getting married, and we are the ones who choose the bride. We gave everything to this company, which grew with value, quality and created jobs. This operation guarantees continuity to the company's development and also to all who are part of it. As in a relay race, we now deliver this magnificent company, a modern and competitive SME, to this group of investors in which, in a way, we recognize ourselves», said the spokesperson for the Ferreira family.
Miguel Magalhães, representative of the new shareholders in the company, highlighted, in turn, the way in which the process has been carried out so far.
«We did everything with time, without haste and with the greatest discretion to ensure that the lives of the company's employees and their families, in addition to the production and marketing of products, were defended and everything remained without fluctuations and speculation. And so it will continue to be. The owners change, it's true, but the commitment to the teams remains, with Olhão and the Algarve. Let's take Canserveira further in global markets. As our CEO said, eyes on the national market, yes, but with a strong focus on internationalization», he summed up.
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