Scala Projects Revenue Will Exceed R$2bn in 2026
Scala was established in Sacramento, Minas Gerais, in 1963. For much of its history, the company supplied mozzarella, butter and parmesan to restaurants and other food-service businesses, while its name remained largely absent from consumers’ purchasing decisions. Maria Eugenia Soares Cerchi, an administrative director and granddaughter of the founder who now sits on the board, described it as “a brand that operates behind the scenes”.
The company is now seeking a larger role in retail. About 70% of Brazil’s cheese market is concentrated in that channel, where Scala has traditionally had limited exposure. Sales to final consumers accounted for 25% of its revenue in 2025; Scala has set a target of 30% by the end of 2027.
The repositioning included a new brand strategy, research with consumers and business customers, and an internal project lasting roughly three years. Several parts of the company were involved in documenting how customers buy through each sales channel. Wholesale and retail sales have grown by double digits over the past three years.
Scala has also enlarged its manufacturing network. In the previous year it bought Laticínio Deale in Rio Grande do Sul, adding two plants to the operation. The Deale name will remain in use because of its established position in the state’s market. Scala now has seven industrial units: four in Sacramento, including three dairy facilities and one animal-nutrition plant; one in Salitre de Minas; and the two acquired in southern Brazil.
The facilities can process more than 1m litres of milk a day, and the company has about 1,700 direct employees, including merchandising staff. Revenue reached R$1.4bn in 2024, while the target for 2025 was above R$1.5bn. The current goal is to pass R$2bn in 2026 and double the company’s size by 2030.
Scala’s expansion has been accompanied by formal governance arrangements. Its administrative forums began taking shape more than 20 years ago. The company now has a deliberative board of directors, a council of shareholders and three independent directors. Cerchi refers to its approach as the “20-mile march”, a term associated with author Jim Collins, meaning steady growth rather than sharp expansion during favourable periods.
Some recent investment has focused on infrastructure outside cheese production. Scala invested R$50m in an effluent-treatment plant designed to produce biomethane. The project received R$64.7m in financing from BNDES through the Climate Fund and is designed to process 2,500 cubic metres of effluent per day. The company also says it maintains about 350 hectares of planted forest and recycles an amount equivalent to 110% of the packaging it places on the market.
The business was started by Nino, an Italian immigrant who arrived after fleeing the war with his widowed mother and four siblings. After working in bakeries and restaurants, he bought a small butter factory. Members of the family’s third generation, including Cerchi, now participate in decisions about the company’s expansion and governance.
