A century-old co-operative launches an app to expand cheese consumption

Santa Clara presented the application at the 34th FestiQueijo, a gastronomic festival in Carlos Barbosa that is regarded as one of the largest of its kind in Rio Grande do Sul. The co-operative has exhibited at the event since its first edition and used both its stand at the Centro Cultural Mãe de Deus and the festival’s free Piazza FestiQueijo area to demonstrate the tool.

The programme featured an interactive display and a discussion covering gastronomy, cheese, food pairing and Rio Grande do Sul traditions. Lela Zaniol and Diogo Carvalho, from Destemperados, led the session and used the application to share suggestions with visitors.

Alexandre Guerra, Santa Clara’s administrative and financial director, said the tool was intended to respond to consumers seeking new ways to use food and to understand its attributes. “They want to know new possibilities for consumption and understand the attributes of foods,” he said.

According to Guerra, cheese has gained ground among consumers who value protein-rich foods and associate them with healthy eating. Santa Clara wants to address that movement with a practical and accessible tool that can also encourage wider consumption of dairy products.

The application forms part of the commercial importance that cheese has acquired within the co-operative. Guerra said the task extended beyond maintaining product quality to adding value to the consumption experience and reinforcing the relationship between consumers, the brand and the more than 2,400 milk-producing families supporting the operation across 166 municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul.

Santa Clara currently has nearly 5,000 members and handles 360m litres of milk a year. The co-operative said that turning the purchasing experience into digital content was also a way to protect the more profitable part of its business as consumers became more demanding and connected.