Brazil: The Rocheto Group, the largest potato producing company in the country
Learn the story of the Rocheto Group, owner of Brazil’s largest English potato farm, and how it built an empire that spans the agricultural sector and the frozen food industry.
At the heart of Brazil’s agribusiness, one name stands out in the potato sector: the Rocheto Group . With massive operations in Minas Gerais, São Paulo, and Mato Grosso, the group owns the largest potato plantation in Brazil . Its story is an example of strategic vision, transforming a family-run business into a conglomerate that dominates the domestic market.
The Rocheto Group’s strength lies not only in the agricultural sector. In a bold move, the family created Bem Brasil Alimentos, the first national frozen potato chip company, thus breaking the monopoly of multinationals. The Rocheto saga shows how vertical integration, from planting to the final product, became the key to building an agribusiness empire.
Where is the largest potato plantation in Brazil located?
While the Rocheto Group has plantations in three states, the heart of its operations, and the location of Brazil’s largest potato plantation, is in the municipality of Perdizes, in the Mining Triangle region. The property, with approximately 15,000 hectares, not only accounts for a large portion of its production but has also become the city’s largest private employer.
The choice of Minas Gerais, in the late 1980s, was strategic. The region’s climate allows for a longer planting period than that of São Paulo, where the family originated. To ensure soil health, the group adopts crop rotation, alternating the planting of potatoes with soybeans, corn, and beans, a practice that guarantees long-term production sustainability.
The Rocheto Group’s success is based on technology and a transformative decision. The company invests heavily in the selection of high-yield varieties, such as Asterix , ideal for frying. But the big leap came in 2006, with the founding of Bem Brasil Alimentos.
Until then, the pre-fried frozen potato market in Brazil was dominated by foreign companies. By creating its own industry, the Rocheto Group not only added value to its production but also guaranteed the destination of its 260,000 tons annually . Today, Bem Brasil is the national sales leader in the category, a remarkable achievement for a 100% Brazilian company.
The history of the group is a family saga.
It all began in the 1940s, growing potatoes on a small property. It was the Rocheto brothers who, with foresight, saw the opportunity to expand production to Minas Gerais, seeking better climatic and soil conditions.
The transition from a purely agricultural company to an agroindustrial conglomerate was the step that consolidated the empire. The creation of Bem Brasil Alimentos was not just a diversification but the materialization of a strategy to dominate the entire production chain.
The Rocheto model
The Rocheto Group is a classic example of vertical integration. The company controls the entire process: from planting on Brazil’s largest potato farm to the final product reaching the consumer’s table. Around 70% of all potatoes processed by Bem Brasil come from its own farms.
This total control guarantees a stability and standardization of quality that its competitors can hardly match. By dominating the agricultural sector and the industry, the Rocheto Group has not only become the country’s largest potato producer but also a model for how family farming can become a national agroindustrial powerhouse.
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