M. Dias Branco

M. Dias Branco S/A emerged from an undertaking by the then future businessman, Manuel Dias Branco, in the city of Cedro, Ceará, later the bakery Padaria Imperial. The year was 1936 and in his bakery, Dias Branco produced bread, cookies and pasta from the Imperial brand for the population of Fortaleza. The bakery was on the bustling Avenida Visconde do Rio Branco.[3][4]

In 1940 Manuel modernized his company, installing machines for the production of Imperial noodles and expanded his business, forming a partnership with his brothers José and Orlando, creating the company M. Dias Branco & Irmãos (The "M." comes from Manuel, the first name of the founder). In 1951 the bakery changes its address and name. The "Padaria Fortaleza" was transformed into a biscuit and pasta factory, which received the name "Fábrica Fortaleza" in 1953 when Francisco Ivens de Sá Dias Branco joined the company, changing the company's name to "M. Dias Branco & Cia. Ltd." In the following year, the company then invests in heavy machinery and, working in three shifts, creates the Pepita biscuit, which was its first great success.

In the 1960s, the company underwent major changes. In 1962, new products were launched, including the Petit Beure biscuit, and the character "Fortinho" was also created as the mascot of Fábrica Fortaleza, until then the only unit of the company. At the end of the decade, in 1967, the factory underwent its first expansion when it began to produce the "Extra-Fina" line.

The 1970s were years of consolidation for the company, which started to produce pasta for the North and Northeast regions, reaching leadership in these regions. In 1972, the cream cracker became one of the most popular products. In 1976, the new headquarters of Fábrica Fortaleza began to be built on BR-116, km 18, in the municipality of Eusébio (CE), on a plot of 600,000 m², which is currently one of the largest biscuit and pasta factories in Latin America. With the launch of the "Richester" line in 1978, the company reached new levels of sales, increasing its market share even more.

In 1980, the construction of the new facilities for the biscuit and pasta factory, in the municipality of Eusébio (CE), was completed, maintaining the name "Fábrica Fortaleza". With the new facilities, the company further expands its production and operations in the North-Northeast market. To improve the quality of its products, the company created in 1985 the Research and Analysis Center – CPA for certification and development of new products. In 1991 the company robotizes the packaging systems of its products.

In 1992, M. Dias Branco expands its activities and inaugurates its first wheat milling and wheat flour and bran production unit, becoming the largest mill in Brazil in terms of wheat and by-product storage capacity. This investment represented the first step towards verticalizing the company's biscuit and pasta production process. In 1999 the company launches the snack Tot's.

• Fortaleza: A biscuit, pasta and toast company. It was founded in 1953 in the capital of Ceará, a city that bears the same name as the brand. Fortaleza was the first to be launched by M. Dias Branco. Their mascot is a superhero boy called Fortinho present since 1962.
• Adria: It is a biscuit and pasta company.[5] Previously, the brand belonged to Adria Alimentos do Brasil when the company was then acquired by M. Dias Branco S/A in 2003.[6]
• Richester: It is a biscuit and pasta company;[7] Among their main brands are Animados Zoo (a children's brand consisting of sandwich cookies, wafers and snack cakes), Amori (sandwich cookies and wafers), Escureto (Amori's variation on vanilla flavor and a competitor of the Oreo brand), Yoi (instant noodles), Superiore (cream crackers and marie biscuits) and Gold Class (crackers).
• Vitarella: It is a cookies and pasta company from Pernambuco. Until 2008 it belonged to the Bom Gosto food industry, founded in 1993.[8] Its factory is located in Jaboatão dos Guararapes, on BR-101, close to the ports of Suape and Recife, which allows for a quick flow of production. Currently, more than a hundred different items are produced, such as wafers, butters, donuts and savory snacks. Pasta such as spaghetti and lasagna are also produced. The brand stands out in the sales leadership of the M. Dias Branco Group in Pernambuco, its state of origin, and also in the states of Alagoas, Paraíba and Rio Grande do Norte, being also present in other areas of the country.
• Pilar: It is a biscuit and pasta company from Pernambuco. The brand previously belonged to NPAP Alimentos S/A when the company was acquired by M. Dias Branco S/A on April 26, 2011, through the subsidiary Indústria de Alimentos Bomgosto Ltda - Vitarella.
• Piraquê: It is a biscuit and pasta company from Rio de Janeiro. It focuses on the Southeast. On January 29, 2018, the food company M. Dias Branco bought Piraquê for 1.55 billion reais.[9][10] On March 19, 2018, Cade approved the purchase.[11] With the purchase of Piraquê, M. Dias seeks to increase its participation in the food market, mainly in the South and Southeast of the country.
• Basilar: A pasta company founded in São Paulo on 1964.
• Bonsabor: A biscuit and pasta company founded in 1999.
• Estrella: A biscuit and pasta company. With Portuguese roots, it started as a bakery in 1946, idealized by the young Pelágio de Oliveira Brandão. Its growth resulted in Fábrica Estrela which, in December 2011, became part of the M. Dias Branco brand portfolio.[12] Their products are sold in the north and northeast regions.
• Finna: A flour brand. It is known as the most popular flour brand in the northeast region.[13]
• Salsitos and Delicitos: Two snack brands sold only in 3 states of northeast region. Salsitos is a puffcorn brand and Delicitos is a wheat snack brand.
• Isabela: A biscuit, pasta, flour, snack cake and toast company. Was founded in 1954 by Bento Gonçalves in Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul. is considered one of the largest companies in the southern region.
• Adorita, Amorela, Puro Sabor and Medalha de Ouro: Margarine brands.
• Pelaggio: A biscuit, pasta and snack cake company.
• Zabet: A biscuit company. Was founded in 1960 in São Paulo.[14][15]

• Official website