By Rosana Dias
Pitú, a well know brand of “cachaça”, wants to introduce Canada to the most famous Brazilian national drink: Caipirinha and its simple and fool-proof recipe which consists of lime juice, sugar and ice-cubes and of course, “cachaça”. The mix has an unique and exquisite flavour that has a taste of Carnival and Samba.
To what extent depends on Peter Mielzynski Agencies (PMA) Canada – one of the largest importers in Canada of beverages such as this, and other recipes for caipirinha, which use passion fruit, strawberry and kiwi, and are guaranteed to be a success. After all, the company has striven to promote and expand the distribution of Cachaça Pitú, one of the leaders in the Brazilian market and a well known brand worldwide. “Cachaça is a growing product with a great potential, however it’s still perceived as an ethnic product, therefore a boost in the budget to build brand equity is needed”, said Christopher Ronikier, Senior Brand Manager at PMA Canada.
The company is aiming to increase its visibility to Pitú Cachaça by showcasing it in events, like the one that happened in the summer of 2010 at the musical festival Brazilian Day Canada, as well as the Sunny Side Pavilion Art Show and the Pitu Petek Competition.The PMA promoting strategy follows the concept developed by Pitú in its home base in Brazil. “To increase consumption, it is necessary to really know the product and its different ways it can be consumed. That’s why we have been focusing in the dissemination of different cocktails made with “cachaça”, specially, the capirinha.” Says Victoria Cavalcanti, director of external international relations of the Pitú bottling company located in Vitória de Santo Antão, in the state of Pernambuco, in the Northeast region of Brazil.
“Cachaça” is a typical Brazilian spirit obtained from the fermentation of the sugar cane. The Pitú brand is the leader brand not only in Canada but also in the province of Ontario, where the product was introduced to the country five years ago. And it is growing even further. From July 2010 up to July 2011, sales increased 17.5%.
Here, there, everywhere
Ever since 1972, when the Pitú cachaça started to be exported to Germany, the company based one of its key growth strategies in the international market. Currently, one can find the product in over 48 countries.Besides being one of the company’s oldest markets, Germany nowaways is also ranked number one in the consumption of the brand in the international market. The Pitú cachaça currently can be found in different countries of Europe, such as Portugal, Italy, France and England as well as Canada, United States, Australia and South Africa.
Photos: Victoria Cavalcanti, director of international relations of Pitú & Chris Ronikier, Senior Brand Manager
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