An American candy company is created by a family that invested in it and generates a monthly income of R$67 thousand reais. Learn how.
The beginning of all things
In June 2020, everything began at Mooca. A famous American sweet, cinnamon rolls, was Alê’s favorite, but his mother only knew how to make the Hungarian original recipe and had to adapt it. Immediately after eating the candy, the son’s entrepreneurial spirit was heightened and he found a source of income – he was already unemployed.
Therefore, Mooca Buns was born, a company run by a mother and son. Its primary focus is on manufacturing, selling, and delivering cinnamon rolls, and it is located in the Mooca district of So Paulo. As a starting point, Rosane and her son prepared some sweets and distributed them to the 68 apartments in their building.
They received an order the following day and have not stopped working until today. Alexandre Gatti Junior reports that all of the company’s income has been recorded and is under control since the start of production. Thus, the partners retain financial control of the company and are able to devise sales strategies to expand the brand.
These successful business partners are even considering opening a franchise. Alê and Rosane spent around R$750 reais in the first month of business on setting up a tasting in their building and preparing orders.
Using this candy for billing
By the numbers, the investment was successful – the company earned around R$90 thousand reais in 2021. There is a physical store for Mooca Buns in the Mooca neighborhood at the moment. In February 2022, the structure was constructed for around BRL 85,000. In addition to the variety of flavors, the quality and price of the famous American candy have made it a huge success in the city.
A team of four bakers produces cinnamon rolls alongside Rosane Marino. Since Rosane produces the sweets and prepares the dough, the confectioners prepare the toppings for the delicacies.
Already, fifteen different flavors of sweets are available, ranging from the classics to the most creative. The average consumer consumes more classic sweets than more creative ones at the moment. In the opinion of the partners, the sweets that sell best are the simple ones, with a cinnamon filling and sugar sprinkled on top, and the classics, with cinnamon filling and cream cheese frosting.
Its best-known cinnamon rolls weigh 170 grams and feature a cinnamon filling topped with caramel and pecan nuts. Sweets such as famous American sweets range in price from R$13 to R$23 reais. Their business has been expanding and they plan to open new stores or to create a franchise across the country soon with the right price.
This company began in the kitchen of the family’s apartment in 2020 and is currently legalized as a company selling sweets to Amazon. The growth is quite impressive, isn’t it? Alexandre said that the company was legalized in order to satisfy a request from Amazon, which ordered cinnamon rolls for a 150-person online event.
How to have a successful company investing little?
Our case study above illustrates how the company Mooca Buns started with a low investment, around R$800, and with a small structure – the kitchen in the partners’ apartment. Nevertheless, the company is expanding and is a success for investors, which means for the partners as well.
According to Juliana Segallio of Sebrae in So Paulo, Alê and Rosane’s company was strategically positioned from the beginning, and that made a big difference in its success. The tasting in their building, controlling income and expenses, and incorporating trends in the business were key successes for Mooca Buns.
In terms of the tasting, the consultant points out that it is a good initiative for finding out if the product will be well received by the public as well as for positioning the brand in social media. Consequently, the partners learned whether or not it was viable to turn their hobby into a profitable business.
In addition to cash control, Alexandre reported that it is another key to the business’s success. To maintain the right price of the final product, Juliana believes the process of controlling the ingredients should start with the production of the product. This allows the company to quantify the profit from the sale and the customer to pay fair value for the product.
The consultant emphasizes the importance of incorporating trends in the business as a way to remain relevant to the market. There’s nothing like trying something new, is there? You can retain and attract customers by incorporating trends into your product and maintaining what’s popular with customers.
Famous American sweet: Meet the cinnamon roll
This popular American candy is an adaptation of the original recipe developed by a food service company in the United States called Cinnamon. The Swedish recipe was adapted by Americans and, soon, became well known throughout the world, receiving other adaptations.
In honor of the commemorative date of October 4th, this sweet is called Kanelbulle, an original Swedish recipe. It is typically served in Sweden with cream cheese and sugar on top and combines wheat flour, sugar, milk, butter, and cinnamon in its dough.
In an interview, Maria Lucia de Moura Pontes, graduate professor of “Professional Bakery and Confectionery: techniques, production and management” at SENAC, stated that she had prepared an adaptation of the original recipe in the pastry shop where she worked. As she explained, dough is produced in a similar way, but the topping is cream with coconut. Due to this experience, she learned that cinnamon rolls are called coconut snails or cream rolls.
Is it worth producing cinnamon rolls in Brazil?
It is impossible for Brazilians to go without salty bread for breakfast, and sweet bread is usually eaten after a meal or in the afternoon. Therefore, cinnamon rolls can be an interesting product to fall in love with.
As Professor Maria Lucia pointed out in an interview, cinnamon rolls can be produced and sold successfully in Brazil, just as Moca Buns are. However, she emphasizes that it’s important to respect regional tastes, i.e., adding toppings made from local ingredients can win over consumers.
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