The Rui Costa e Sousa & Irmão Group is an unforgettable name when it comes to high quality Codfish and today it is one of the largest processors and marketers of dry salted codfish and soaked cod in the world. For over 85 years this company has achieved a position of reference in the cod market with a portfolio of customers spread over more than 36 countries.
His name is Rui Costa e Sousa but he is better known as’ Sr. Bacalhau ‘, the trademark of deep-frozen cod that was launched in 2007 nad which sums up the life and career of this natural entrepreneur from Tondela. The dynamics of the Rui Costa e Sousa & Irmão Group is evident throughout the process of processing and marketing Cod.
In order to anticipate the changes in the raw material markets, in particular in Norway, Rui Costa e Sousa bet on a pioneering strategy of verticalization in the Cod chain. In this context he acquired Andenes Fiskemottak A.S., a fish reception station, and bet on the construction of a unit of scale and salgue, Andoya Fisheries A.S. “They invested 20 million Euros that allow us to control the cod from the fishing, going through the scale and salting, drying and soaking until the consumer’s table. This is the secret of ‘Alta Qualidade’ – just like in the Sailing Ships of our ancestors, where the cod remained at least 5 months in the salt to mature. ”
skrei Cod to the US
Export skrei, the unique fresh cod certified from Norway only available between February and April, for the US market was the latest bet from ‘Sr. Bacalhau ‘, which sells hundreds of tons of this premium product directly from Norway to various destinations in the North American market.
The Skrei is a fresh cod of excellence, caught during spawning, from January to April. When the cod reaches maturity, the “miracle of the Skrei”, the migration is done against the current during the winter months, to spawn in the coastal zones of Norway.
Skrei Quality is recognized and certified only by authorized and accredited operators in Norway. Attested, in this way, its particularity, with a firmer texture, fleshy and muscled by the migratory effort. It is from this special cod that the company produces’ Sr. Bacalhau ‘, in Andenes, Norway.
For the RCSI Group, the export of skrei to the US “is a very important business window, with guaranteed growth,” says industrial director Gonçalo Guedes Vaz, confirming his interest in exploring the American market and also consolidating exports of fresh cod for the European market, which began in 2010.
The advantages of this operation are obvious and according to Rui Costa e Sousa, “we acquire the merchandise directly from the ships and we know that the most profitable cod for the fishermen is what is sold fresh, the Skrei cod that goes to the international markets and we have the possibility of acquiring this cod because we have the fish factory in Norway. Ship-owners sell the vast majority to the international market, which pays the most. Only the fish that is salted is the remained one. “Sandra Costa e Sousa, the Group’s chief financial officer, adds, “this quality of cod is very difficult to find in Portugal because it is sold to fresh international markets. Regardless of what may be happening, we choose the larger fish and bring it to our unit and that’s when we make the decision. We chose our cod. ”
For just three months each year, fresh cod, called skrei, delights the chefs from all over the world, serving it in the most extravagant gastronomic creations. The skrei is thus definitely fashionable, not only in Europe but also in the USA. “The US is a country with purchasing power, a mature market with 300 million people who usually do not have access to fish of this quality. Consumption is less than 14 kg of fish per capita, mostly aquaculture. Even coming from so far, by airplane, the skrei arrives two or three days after being captured in Norway, “explains Gonçalo Guedes Vaz, revealing that” it is also in our plans to export skrei to other markets, such as South America and Brazil”.
To face the increasing costs of the factory in Norway, the company decided to use the most of all the product that came from the sea, regardless of the size of cod: selling fresh cod up to three kilos and salting larger fish. “The core of the company is salting cod, it was not selling fresh. However, we quickly realized that we should have the best of both worlds, “says the industrial director. There are other advantages. “Fresh fish is trade for much shorter times and the risk is minor. The salted one obliges to make stock and its value can lower and rise several times according to the economic environment that is passed on in the business. ”
Brascod in Brazil
In terms of marketing, the RCSI Group is the largest exporter to the Brazilian market. According to Sandra Costa e Sousa, Brascod contributed to the increase in turnover, leveraged by the well-known brand BomPorto. In the Brazilian market “cod is BomPorto! We have been 10 years in the main supermarket chains, in the best restaurants. We have 150 sellers and 10,000 clients from North to South of Brazil. ”
For the financial director, “Brazil has enormous potential, because despite the issue of insecurity, it is a very good market, it seeks quality and does not mind paying for it. The important thing is to be in the right place with the customers and not to fail with the merchandise, the price only comes after. The most important thing is to guarantee high quality products. Since the quality of our products is above that which is normally found, this turns out to be decisive to work in this market. Then it’s letting the word go. Today, people recognize ‘Sr. Bacalhau ‘as a very expensive cod, but also very good. And it is very important that people recognize this quality, because in fact it is not a cod just like the others. It is a cod that we control from the origin, because we are the ones that fish it, we are the ones that salt it and all this is different. The Portuguese companies that are buying in Norway cannot control the whole process. ”
The high quality product strategy of the RCSI Group makes it “preferable to sell less, but to have our brand. We are not available to produce other brands, we want to develop our brands and we think that is the way. It must be taken into account that any company that produces another brand, will not commit the same quality. The consumer is being induced, the quality is not effectively the same. The consumer is still not sufficiently informed “, says Sandra Costa e Sousa, who also shows us that the quality of the products is due to the control from the origin at sea where” it must be taken into account that cod is a wild product. In terms of quality, if the product is caught at sea and salted when still fresh, being six months in salt and go through a whole controlled production process, we get a product of excellence. And in terms of health, it is incomparable, it has no preservatives. It is an excellent product for our health. In a world dominated by altered or manipulated products, the secret of our process is time and salt, without any additives. ”
This is perhaps one of the secrets of the Group’s success, which has experienced an effective growth in the face of a sector in crisis. Rui Costa e Sousa recognizes that “in the last years, many companies have closed. Some large supermarkets promised worlds and funds and many believed, but the growing policy of discounts, discounts and more discounts has led many companies to be in a difficult situation today and others have simply closed, “Sandra Costa e Sousa adds that the company’s strategy is not only focused on growth, “we do not sell from a certain amount because we do not want to depend on any customer. We have a sales limit. We are not focused on growth, but on the profitability of the business. ”
The RCSI Group is today the leader in the processing and marketing of cod in Portugal, producing around 25 thousand tons per year and exporting to 36 countries, from Timor and Macao to South Africa, through Australia, Dubai, South Korea, Mozambique, Angola, France, England, among many others. Including Norway itself. The Group started operating in Brazil in 2002 with the incorporation of the Brascod Company and has most of the group’s exports to this market – 60% of the turnover of 80 million euros per year.