Just the name,Serenata de Amor(Song of Love), makes it an irresistible bonbon. The ball-shaped piece features a cashew-based filling that’s surrounded by a crispy wafer shell and then enrobed first in milk chocolate, then bittersweet chocolate.
But there’s a story behind the name as well, which no doubt
has added to its popularity.
When Garoto’s founder, Henrique Meyerfreund, came up with
the idea of producing such a bonbon, based on a suggestion from his
sister-in-law, Erika Meyer, he still hadn’t come up with a suitable name.
Ericka’s fifteen-year-old sister, Ursula, was at the time
being wooed by a very romantic young boy, Hugo Musso. Musso was known for
playing long serenades with a mandolin under Ursula’s window.
One day when Meyerfreund and the family was discussing what
would be an appropriate name for the new chocolate, Ursula suggest Serenata ao Luar (Moonlight Serenade).
Although initially welcomed, it came to light that there already was a bonbon
that had the word Luar in its name.
After several other suggestions, the group decided on Serenata de Amor.
During the course of its 81-year
history, Garoto has evolved with Brazil, growing in its prosperity,
contracting when faced with economic slowdown, global conflicts and internal
politics.
When the company was acquired by
Nestlé in 2003, the Swiss-based multinational recognized the special tie Garoto
had with Brazilians and vice versa. As a result, Garoto actually operates as a
separate subsidiary of Nestle, competing with Nestle Brazil as a friendly rival.
Today, any tourist visiting Vila
Vilhe, home to Garoto, or sister city Vitoria in
northeastern Brazil,
there are two must attractions to see. First, it’s the Penha convent, built in
1583 by Pedro Palacios atop a hill overlooking both cities; and second, it’s
the Garoto manufacturing complex.
Encompassing several building across
68,000 sq. meters (about 50 acres), Garoto employs about 3,500 employees. The
company has the capacity to turn out more than 165 million tons of chocolate
annually.
The company began exporting its chocolate in
1978. Today it is Brazil’s
leading exporter of finished chocolate products, with shipments going to more
than 60 countries.
Product innovation, a tradition at Garoto
that goes back to Meyerfreund, continues to this day. By building on that
tradition, Garoto has taken well-established brands, such as Talento, Baton, Caix Amarela and Frutas,
and expanded their range with line extensions, premiumization and more
convenient packaging.
Take for example, the Talento brand, which was introduced in 1993. The square, 100-gram
bar, a virtual clone of the famous Ritter
Sport chocolate bar, debuted in four milk chocolate varieties featuring fruits
and nuts.
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Baton, which translates from Portuguese
into English as lipstick, has been a beloved children’s treat in Brazil since
1948. The solid cylindrical chocolate piece now also comes in a bar format, but
still in a clever recognizable shape, half cylinders seemingly joined together.
This year, Baton will be rolled out as a double flavor, alternating milk and
white chocolate half cylinders in a 76-gram bar.
It would be impossible to mention Garoto without
referring to the company’s famed “yellow box” containing individually wrapped assorted
chocolates and candies.
One of the company’s most innovative new
launches for 2010 is Frutas, a combination of chocolate and processed fruit
that boasts 50 k/calories per piece. The high fiber, chocolate treat is sold in
produce departments to accent its healthy characteristics.
More innovations are on the drawing board at
Garoto as the company takes advantage of its parent company’s resources and
continues to invest in new technologies and efficiencies.
This year, two investments - one for a
Haas-Sollich production line dedicated for Serenada
de Amor, the other an Aasted “flexible line” focused on turning out a
variety of moulded chocolate items, such as a the double flavor Baton - total more than $200 million.
These improvements recognize the growth
potential of chocolate in Brazil
as well as abroad. They’re also a “labor of love” for a company that
irrevocably intertwined with its customers.