Brazil factory investment addresses soaring demand for Hellmann’s squeeze bottles

Hellmann’s is powering up a new factory line at its Pouso Alegre plant in Brazil in order to satisfy the fast-growing consumer appetite for its squeeze bottle sauces.

By increasing production capacity by double digits, the €14.7 million investment will ensure factory output keeps pace with soaring demand for the squeeze bottle format which overall grew 30% in volume across the Brazil market in 2023 (Nielsen’s Total Market Brazil FY 2023).

“We are growing at double digits across the business in Brazil, mainly in squeeze bottle lines. Every month we are gaining market share and we need more capacity,” explains Edmundo Mollo, Factory Director at Pouso Alegre.

Optimising performance and maximising outputs

Edmundo admits that rocketing demand is a nice problem to have, especially as the factory investment will ensure that efficacy is supported by the latest technological advancements.

The Pouso Alegre plant is already a leader in sustainable operational excellence, thanks to its state-of-the-art biodigester. Since its instalment last year, the biodigester has delivered 100% of the thermal renewable energy needed to power the plant.

Now, thanks to the new investment, the factory can enhance operational excellence further.

“It gives us the opportunity to further optimise in terms of performance, equipment components and data collection,” he says, adding that machine learning and AI will allow continual improvement of the factory’s efficiency.