In November 2019, a delegation of 11 members from Clusaga, Valorial and Vitagora took part in a partnership mission to Brazil, that took place in São Paulo and Curitiba. The mission was organized thanks to the support of local partners such as the Food tech Hub and The Federation of Industries from the State of Paraná.

Among the delegation, the SME SensoStat (FR) was involved in the mission preparation. First, an audit was carried out to understand the company’s internationalization objectives and targeted partners. A matchmaking plan was then organized in collaboration with experts on the Brazilian market and local partners through individual discussions. The goal was to acquire relevant contacts and ensure alignment with the objectives of SensoStat.

With several experiences in international business, SensoStat main goal was to enter new markets. With the assistance of NF4, Brazil was identified as a market of interest in order to develop partnerships and business with food producers and service providers in South America, as well as to develop collaborative projects with research organizations in the field of sensory analysis.

Sensory analysis is a specific expertise which is still yet fully integrated outside of Europe. The personalized preparation meetings before the mission allowed SensoStat to target contacts and to optimize resources. During the mission, SensoStat gained a better understanding of the market as well as the cultural approach in Brazil. As the market potential was confirmed during the mission, the follow-up is focused on cultural issues and transforming potential growth in sensory analysis into business opportunities for SensoStat. The Brazilian market is still at an early stage when it comes to consumer tests, whereas SensoStat has many years of experience.

“During the partnership missions, we were well supervised and supported, and the team took care of everything… On site, the relevance of the meetings allowed me to discover the Brazilian market as well as their way of working. The contacts were interesting and give us clues to dig into, which are opportunities for partnership to strengthen in the future”.

For more information please contact: Nicolas.machado [at] vitagora.com

About SensoStat: SensoStat is a company specialized in sensory analysis, consumer tests and data science. SensoStat has its premises in the Centre for the Sciences of Taste and Feeding – CSGA – in Dijon, France.

SensoStat provides expert services to the agri-food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals sectors etc. in the field of sensory evaluation. Their expertise helps companies characterize the taste properties of their products, to understand consumers expectations in terms of sensory perception, and to support their clients from the creation of the protocol through to the analysis of the results.

SensoStat can train the inhouse staff in sensory analysis or provide services for foreign companies looking for feedback on the market or guidelines for product adaptation.