Rocca expands dulce de leche production and prepares exports
Rocca was founded by Rosi Barbosa and Raphael Figueiredo from a small family business that already made jams. It began with R$20,000, a small stainless-steel pan and output of about 40 jars of dulce de leche a day. The company now processes approximately 6,000 litres of milk daily.
The pace of investment increased from 2020. Rocca has spent between R$2m and R$3m a year on expansion and modernisation, with its most significant industrial enlargement completed in 2024. The expansion increased production capacity, but the company now identifies distribution, additional retail outlets and brand development as its main commercial tasks. Only about 30% of the enlarged factory’s total capacity is currently being used.
From Pouso Alegre to Brazil
Sales were initially built one customer at a time in Pouso Alegre, where the family farm and industrial unit are located. Rocca first offered its products to friends and other consumers, then approached shops and took part in business and food events. These included initiatives involving Sebrae and Origem Minas, the International Coffee Fair and the Tiradentes Gastronomic Festival.
At the end of 2019, the company obtained Sisbi certification, allowing it to sell in other Brazilian states. Its first large customer outside Minas Gerais was Zona Sul, a supermarket chain in Rio de Janeiro. Rosi Barbosa said that the gradual expansion enabled Rocca to test its product, learn more about consumers and consolidate its operations before pursuing broader national distribution. Its food-service range now reaches every Brazilian state.
Milk supply and product range
Rocca’s growth has also changed the relationship between the factory and the family farm. Barbosa is part of the fourth generation involved in dairy farming, while her father has produced milk on the property for more than 70 years. The farm supplies about 1,400 litres a day, compared with the factory’s consumption of roughly 6,000 litres from Monday to Friday. Rocca therefore buys additional milk from local producers and co-operatives. Incoming batches are tested against the company’s requirements, including standards for solids content.
The founders have said they chose not to compete with large manufacturers mainly through price. The company uses a formulation based on milk and sugar and promotes the product’s identity, origin and connection with the family farm through social media. Its range includes traditional dulce de leche and versions with coffee, coconut, hazelnut, pistachio and cocoa. Pack sizes are 50 grams, 400 grams and 4.6kg, with the largest intended for food-service customers.
Preparation for overseas sales
Since last year, Rocca has been reorganising its sales structure and investing in management and customer-service tools. It has also begun preparing for the certification required to sell abroad. The partners said that the factory-adjustment project needed to obtain SIF, Brazil’s Federal Inspection Service certification, had been approved. The required work is expected to begin with the aim of securing certification next year.
“We are moving forward steadily and will soon begin exporting,” Rosi said. The company’s planned next stage is to convert its available industrial capacity into broader distribution, new markets and initial sales outside Brazil.
