Belca | BBR - Brochure

Partners:

ALL-IN-ONE SOLUTION for sustainable foodservice

Produced by Jassen Pintado Creative Direction Omar Rodríguez Interviewee Andrée Marie Asturias, Chief International Business Officer for Belca

7

Issue #31

B e l c aB e l c a

Food & Beverage

The development of the food market in Central America is offering new opportunities to companies. Belca’s endeavors in the foodservice specialty have resulted in growth all over the territory, overtaking the leadership.

Andrée Marie Asturias, Director for Central America, shared with us details about this achievement as well as from the company’s sustainability agenda, looking forward to increasing its presence into more countries

w w w.the b os tonb r.com

8

Food & Beverage

Belca

In 1993, the group entered the COULD YOU PLEASE BRIEFLY SHARE SOME DETAILS ABOUT GRUPO CIISA, SUCH AS ITS CREATION AND SIGNIFICANT FEATS, INCLUDING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE BELCA BRAND?

foodservice industry in Costa Rica as Belca, becoming a ground-breaker in such a specialty in the Central American Market. In 2005, the group entered Nicaragua through Novaterra, S.A., exporting vacuum-sealed meat to different countries.

In 2006, Belca began expanding to other countries in Central America by beginning operations in Honduras.

Grupo CIISA began operating in 1969 in the beef export industry as the Empacadora Taylor and Associates packaging company, with North

Guatemala, and finally, in 2018, in El Salvador.

brand. Once established and known as

WHICH ARE THE MAIN COUNTRIES AND TERRITORIES IN WHICH BELCA OPERATES? WHICH ARE YOUR MAIN PRODUCT LINES? WHICH INDUSTRIES DOES BELCA SERVE?

one of the leading meat suppliers, the

Grupo CIISA operates in Costa Rica,

company opened the CAMSA (Central

Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras and

American Meats) pork meat production

El Salvador. We serve, mainly, through

business unit in 1990.

two specialty areas within the food

American investors. In 1977 it became part Costa Rican with the El Arreo

9

Afterwards, in 2007, Belca broke into

Issue #31

Belca

Food & Beverage

industry: meat production (with El Arreo, in Costa Rica, both with beef and pork products; and in Nicaragua with beef) and foodservice (in Costa Rica, Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras), where we became a complete solution for dry, refrigerated and frozen food supplies, as well as a supplier of cleaning products and other items to food operators in every industry: hotels, restaurants, coffee shops, national and international franchises.

WHAT WAS BELCA LIKE BEFORE ANDRÉE MARIE ASTURIAS TOOK OVER AS CHIEF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS OFFICER? WHERE IS BELCA HEADING NOW? I arrived at Belca Guatemala in 2010, its third year of operations in the country, finding myself in a small family business with huge growth potential in the Guatemalan market. We were 32 contributors relying on six delivery

w w w.the b os tonb r.com

10

At Nestlé Professional we are committed to become a partner that inspires growth, by bringing innovative food & beverage solutions, making our customers feel unique and creative when using our products in their creations.

www.nestleprofessional-latam.com/gt

COFFEE MACHINE NESCAFÉ® FTS 60 E Coffee beans machine

CRUNCH® Buncha Chocolate 4x2.5 kg

DAIRY

CHOCOLATE

CARNATION® Evaporated milk 12x1kg

KITKAT® Untable 6x1.01kg

NESTLÉ® Manjar Dulce de Leche 3x6kg

MAGGI® Chicken flavor bouillon 12x920g

SUPPLY FOR COFFEE MACHINE

MINOR’S® Bourbon style sauce 4x2.23kg

COFFEE

CULINAR

MALHER® Chicken flavor bouillon 6x2.3kg

CREAMER

MAGGI® Mashed potatoes 1x2.3kg

CHEF-MATE® Chili con carne with beans 6x3.03kg

NESTLÉ® Media Crema 12x1L

COFFEE-MATE® Original 200x4g

NESCAFÉ® Whole Bean Espresso 6x1kg

NESCAFÉ® Espresso 6x500g

NESCAFÉ® Clásico 4x1kg

Food & Beverage

Belca

trucks to cover our market. It’s been

complete solutions to our clients. We

hard work from the entire team, as

are a one-stop shop, which helps them

currently we are foodservice leaders

become more efficient, and instead

in the country. Sales in Guatemala

of wasting time dealing with whatever

have increased fifteenfold, we have

amount of suppliers, they can fulfill

180 contributors and 35 delivery

a big deal of their needs here with

units covering 100 percent of

us. In a world of day-to-day rush,

Guatemalan territory.

with so much traffic and impersonal

In 2016 we decided to take part

communication, we keep providing

in the Salvadoran market, finally

personal attention, reaching out to our

beginning operations in 2018 in

clients and engaging with them in long-

this country. We are replicating the

term productive relationships.

apprenticeship we obtained from operations in previous countries to

HOW HAS BELCA INVESTED deliver growth also in Belca El Salvador, IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOLUTIONS ABLE TO DELIVER driving it to become a success story INNOVATIVE SERVICE? in foodservice.

We have invested in innovative WHICH FACTORS SET BELCA APART FROM OTHER FOODSERVICE COMPANIES WITHIN THE TERRITORY, CONTRIBUTING TO BEING CHOSEN BY YOUR CLIENTELE? Our people and our focus in service makes us different, as we deliver

13

Issue #31

technology. Currently in Costa Rica -still our largest market-, for example, we rely on AI to deal with clients which, due to their nature or location, prefer to call the company to place an order.

We also offer bots catering to our clients’ needs (along with Any2Cloud,

Belca

Food & Beverage

It’s been hard work from the entire team,

as currently we are foodservice leaders - Andrée Marie Asturias, Chief International Business Officer for Belca

w w w.the b os tonb r.com

14

Food & Beverage

Belca

a company into the tech innovation

out by being suppliers that want to

industry) providing different services:

grow hand in hand with us, contributing

POP (point of purchase) advertising

to market development. These are

and customer service desks, among

suppliers investing in us to boost

others.

their market footprint. We are their distribution channel; and more than

15

IN WHICH AREAS DO THE COMPANY’S STRATEGIC PARTNERS STAND OUT?

suppliers, they become -as stated

Belca’s strategic partners stand

have provided growth to brands in

Issue #31

in the question- strategic partners and even friends with whom we

Belca

Food & Beverage

a significant way across our markets.

IN WHICH WAYS IS BELCA CONTRIBUTING TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE PROCESSES AS A COMPANY AS WELL AS IN ITS SURROUNDINGS? We are a company committed to sustainability. We earned Carbon Inventory and Blue Flag certification in Costa Rica, and we are certified under ISO 14001:2015 Environmental Management in Nicaragua.

We have internal processes engaging our entire supply chain, such as the Sustainable Procurement Program.

Our operations in Guatemala and Costa Rica are, on their behalf, certified under SQF (Food Safety Code for Storage and Distribution), being the only foodservice distribution company in the territory with this credential.

WHAT GOALS IS BELCA ACHIEVING TOWARD THE END OF 2023?

WHICH OF THE COMPANY’S MIDAND LONG-TERM PLANS CAN YOU SHARE WITH US? The goals for 2023 have been to

w w w.the b os tonb r.com

16

Belca

Food & Beverage

We want to become the main food supplier in Central America

and keep conquering countries and always promoting environmental, economical and social sustainability - Andrée Marie Asturias, Chief International Business Officer for Belca

17

Issue #31

Belca

Food & Beverage

keep growing within the markets

interesting expansion plans to replicate

where we are to industrialize, market,

the success model we have featured

and distribute food in the territory,

since its creation.

with the purpose of driving sustainable

supplier in Central America and keep

WHAT CAN YOU SHARE WITH US ABOUT YOUR CAREER REGARDING YOUR EDUCATION, PAST EXPERIENCE AND ANY AWARDS YOU HAVE RECEIVED?

conquering countries and always

I’m an industrial engineer graduated

promoting environmental, economical

from the Rafael Landívar University

and social sustainability. We have

(Guatemala) and I earned a Master’s

growth and the growth of our business partners.

We want to become the main food

w w w.the b os tonb r.com

18

- Andrée Marie Asturias, Chief International Business Officer for Belca

19

Issue #31

Food & Beverage

Belca

in Executive Finance from the

I was called to join the Belca project

Adolfo Ibáñez University (Chile) and

in Grupo CIISA as General Manager

ESADE (Superior School of Business

for Guatemala. Afterwards, in 2018,

Management and Direction, in

I became in charge of El Salvador,

Barcelona, Spain).

and in May 2020, in the middle of the

Previous to my more than 13-year

pandemic, I took care of Honduras,

experience in Grupo CIISA, I worked

bringing a wider scope into my position

for almost 12 years at Procter &

as Chief International Business Officer

Gamble, where I began my career

for the company.

after graduating from college. I entered the Sales department at P&G serving small retailers and pharmaceutical wholesalers, afterwards I transferred to the Customer & Marketing department to develop clients through marketing programs and, finally, during the last seven years of my tenure over there I was in charge of the Market Research department for Central America.

I left P&G in 2006 to focus on my family for a few years. I have three children, two of them are already

FOUNDED: 1993 INDUSTRY: Food Service CONTACT: www.belca.com.gt andree.asturias@belca.com.gt

working professionals and one of them is currently in college. In 2010

w w w.the b os tonb r.com

20

www.belca.com.gt

Powered by

w w w.t h e b o s to n b r.co m