Efficiency and innovation in the biscuit line
With a philosophy of administration based on financial security, credibility in the market and investment in technology, the Dallas group is increasingly betting on diversification of industrial production by investing heavily in the biscuit segment.
The trajectory of the company—which was born in the agricultural region of Rio Grande do Sul and grew working with cereals to set up its agribusiness in the states of Mato Grosso do Sul and São Paulo—started with a farm on which the group's founder, Valdir Zorzo, proved to be a natural-born entrepreneur, with vision of the future and wit to act at the right moment. In the late 1980s, he built the first mill in the town of Nova Alvorada do Sul (MS), which became a reference in the city. And at the beginning of the 90s, he began to invest in wheat processing with the industrialization of pasta.
The sixth largest state in Brazil in territory, Mato Grosso do Sul's economy is driven by agribusiness, being the fifth largest national producer of grains. And in only 30 years of existence, the town of Nova Alvorada do Sul—where Dallas' newest biscuit factory is located—is one of the three fastest growing cities in the state according to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics.
The Dallas group is one of the leaders of this great progress. Being a young company, with family management and only 25 years of industrialization, it is among the important food industry groups in Brazil. And even today, at age 80, Valdir Zorzo remains the strategic guide for the business. But his eldest daughter, Dorcy Zorzo Casarin, has been in charge of the administrative and financial management for more than thirty years.
The administrative-financial director says that the success of the group today is the result of intense work along the company's history, with a broad vision and correct decisions at key moments. She says “we decided to face the challenge of setting up a cereal company, with no experience, learning in in the process. An adventure that ended up working very well by listening to what customers wanted, visiting them to understand their needs, that is, living and learning together with the market”.
We managed to expand our production capacity and provide products within the parameters required by the market and by the consumer, always paying attention to quality and special features
Dorcy Zorzo Casarin, Administrative-financial director, Dallas Alimentos
We were lucky to have a president like Mr. Zorzo, who from the very beginning, even being a small entrepreneur, always thought big, looking for technology as a fundamental factor to achieve a competitive edge
Adriano Ferrugem, Industrial director, Dallas Alimentos
Success happened naturally, as customers were also enthusiastic about the innovative initiative then. “We asked: what kind of flour do you need to make a macaroni or biscuit as you want?,” Dorcy recalls. That is because until then the agricultural culture in the country was very precarious, and the pasta producers were not used to having a milling supplier that offered quality flour with a competitive price and easy payment conditions. This was also one of the key success factors for Dallas' business to emerge, in addition to the geographic position that turned out to be very promising in terms of logistics.
In addition, the group's industrial director, Adriano Ferrugem, comments: “We were lucky to have a president like Mr. Zorzo, who from the very beginning, even being a small entrepreneur, always thought big, looking for technology as a fundamental factor to achieve a competitive edge. For example, when we set up our first pasta factory, it was already one of the most modern in Brazil at the time. This business vision has made a difference, and we have it in the group's DNA to this day. The second factor is the family of Italian origin and culture, believing in the fruits of hard work and persistence ”.
Currently, in addition to the production and sale of food, the group's activities include several companies in agriculture, livestock, transport and logistics, import and export, among other activities. There are approximately 1,500 employees who generate industrial revenues of around BRL 400 million/year.
The factory complex has three plants located in the towns of Nova Alvorada do Sul (MS), Cabreúva (SP) and Santa Cruz do Sul (RS), producing short and long pasta, biscuits, cookies, coated cookies, sandwich cookies and wafers, cake mixes, flours, cereals, corn and cassava products, as well as rice processing. And three own distribution centers (in the cities of Campo Grande, Cuiabá and Cabreúva) take more than 300 different products across Brazil, especially to the North, Midwest, Southeast and South regions. Serving the domestic market is the focus, but the Dallas brand is also exported to several countries.
The history of the partnership with Bühler began in the early 2000s to manufacture wafers, then with Haas technology. And the project to acquire a new line for biscuits at the Mato Grosso do Sul business unit started in 2017. The target was to increase efficiency and obtain large-scale production capacity with high technology for the production of the traditional cream cracker, which is still the preference of consumers in Brazil.
According to Adriano, the main objective of the partnership with Bühler is based on technology, productivity and innovation. “That is why it is important for us to establish a partnership with companies like Bühler, which operates worldwide and is able to keep us permanently updated with the best, so that we can offer something different in the market. It is a strategic partner,” he says.
Currently, Bühler is the world's largest manufacturer of equipment to produce a great variety of biscuits, offering complete solutions from the grain to the finished product. In addition, the existence of a factory in Brazil generates more proximity and confidence in the after-sales service. All those factors make a difference in Dallas' biscuit production line.
According to Dorcy, the partnership with Bühler was fundamental for Dallas to be able to gain new markets, export its products and strengthen quality. “We managed to expand our production capacity and provide products within the parameters required by the market and by the consumer, always paying attention to quality and special features,” she adds.
Thus, to continue winning in the coming years, the Dallas group's industrial challenge is to continue expanding its installed capacity and diversify production with a focus on increasing healthiness of processed foods. To that end, it relies on Bühler as a strategic partner in technology and innovation for the future.
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