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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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- Andrée Marie Asturias, Chief International Business Officer for Belca
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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
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www.belca.com.gt
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