The factory which has just been completed in Diadema, south of the urban area of São Paulo, marks a new start for Greentech Brasil, even though the French manufacturer of plant active ingredients has been based in the country since 2015. “The initial idea was to explore the Brazilian market and distribute made in France ingredients, but the idea has evolved in the direction of local production,” explains Damien Lamquet, director of Greentech in Brazil.
The project accelerated when Greentech acquired Mapric, a Brazilian supplier of ingredients for the cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and nutraceutical industries, in November 2016. “Mapric was a distributor, and Greentech a manufacturer that had yet to make a name for itself in the Brazilian market. With this purchase, we have gained in capillarity”, notes the director.
A new factory and new ambitions
"The time had come for Mapric to finally become Greentech Brasil", adds Damien Lamquet. With 3,500 m2, of which 600 m2 are fully dedicated to manufacturing, the new plant can produce up to 10 tonnes of active ingredients per day - for comparison, the French plant currently produces up to 12 tonnes per day.
Greentech also increased the site’s storage and fractionation capacities, which previously occupied a 700 m2 hangar south of São Paulo.
Although the factory is already in operation, an official inauguration ceremony is planned for the beginning of the second half of the year, or when it is possible to bring part of the French team to Brazil.
Designed to better respond to local demands and strengthen customer service, the Brazilian factory will also enable Greentech to develop new markets. "The plant has the potential to become our production centre in Latin America, a market still underserved by the company," says Damien Lamquet. Currently, Greentech is present on the continent through distributors. “We want to set up a team to address the demand in Latin America, with a special focus on Peru, Colombia, Chile and Argentina,” he adds.
Brazilian biodiversity
Greentech Brasil also intends to invest in scientific research and expand its knowledge of the Brazilian biodiversity. “Brazil is a country with an extremely rich diversity and we still know little about it. Everyone is looking at the Amazon, but we want to investigate other biomes. In Cerrado, for example, we have already developed a sustainable and traceable supply chain,” says Damien Lamquet.
Greentech has invested EUR 1 million to open their new factory. Despite a difficult economic context in Brazil, aggravated by the Covid-19 epidemic, the director of the Brazilian branch says potential return on this investment has been calculated on five to ten years. “Brazil is a country where one’s invests for the long term,” he emphasizes.
Damien Lamquet is confident in Greentech’s growth potential in Brazil. “We want to be number one in botanical technology in Brazil and we are in line with the country’s bio-economy development plans. Any kind of investment is stressful, but I used to say that even with the pandemic and despite the pandemic, the time has come for Greentech Brasil.”
Along with the inauguration of the factory, Greentech Brasil also launches a new active ingredient: Hidraskin Coco, a 100% green ingredient made from coconut water, vegetable glycerin and propandiol, designed to reduce skin dryness and its effects. Damien Lamquet also reveals that two ingredients from Greentech’s portfolio will be produced in Brazil later this year: Dandrilys, an anti-dandruff ingredient, and Aquasilolis, for soaps, shampoos and micellar waters.
