Quat-Chem receives warm welcome from dairy co-operatives in Brazil

Quat-Chem Management with the Director and President of Certrim in Brazil

Quat-Chem Ltd, a Rochdale based manufacturer of industrial biocidal products, recently visited Brazil as part of the company’s internationalisation strategy and received a particularly warm welcome from the dairy industry co-operatives.

The co-operative movement began in Rochdale in 1844 and now involves 1.4 million co-operative societies with over a billion members across the world.

On a recent visit to Brazil, the Quat-Chem management team visited a number of dairy co-operatives to better understand the marketplace for their dairy hygiene range.

Arthur Todd, the company’s business development manager, said: “The co-operative representatives we met in Brazil were very much aware of Rochdale being the home of the co-operative movement and were extremely hospitable. The co-operative business model has proven to be highly successful in the dairy industry in Brazil.”

There are more than 8 million members of over seven thousand co-operatives in Brazil, 1,615 of these are agricultural. Quat-Chem management found the collective approach to optimising the internal supply chain and the productivity of dairy farms, particularly impressive.

Mr Todd said: “The Brazilian dairy industry is undergoing rapid modernisation. Co-operatives are evolving to offer technical support in farm management, veterinary health, nutrition, agronomy as well as offering financial loans. Support of this type is invaluable to the smaller dairy farmers.”

Sales are underpinned by customer confidence in the co-operative and are generated through the guarantee that only high quality products are offered backed by full technical support from suppliers.

Itambe is the largest dairy co-operative in Brazil with over 30 associated co-operatives. Itambe is a widely recognised brand internationally with products available in 63 countries.

Certrim, another large co-operative, also provides a wide range of products including fertilisers, feedstock, equipment and dairy hygiene products, and offers training, veterinary support and servicing of machinery.

Mr Todd said: “Whilst visiting these co-operatives we were impressed with the range of support offered to members. At Quat-Chem we place great emphasis on customer support so would feel very confident about our dairy hygiene products being in the hands of the Brazilian co-operatives.”

Dairy co-operatives in Brazil are a great success, 170 years on, and almost six thousand miles away from where it all began, in Rochdale. The shared ideology between the Brazilian co-operatives andthe Rochdale Equitable Pioneers Society, who opened their store to sell foods at fair prices and at honest measures, is clearly evident.

Councillor Richard Farnell, Leader of Rochdale Borough Council and Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said: “It is fantastic that principles which began in Rochdale so long ago are continuing to make a difference to business communities across the globe today. Hopefully the visit by Quat-Chem to Brazil will lead to new business opportunities for this local manufacturer.”

Mr Todd concludes: “Quat-Chem looks forward to working within the co-operative business model and to expanding our hygiene product offering into Brazil and the rest of Latin America.”