Garoto facts for kids
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Garoto's headquarters in Vila Velha, Espírito Santo.
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| Private | |
| Industry | Food processing |
| Founded | 1929 |
| Headquarters | Vila Velha, Espírito Santo, Brazil |
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Key people
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Heinrich Meyerfreund, Founder Paulo Meyerfreund, Chairman and CEO |
| Products | Confectionery |
| Brands | Talento, Baton |
| Revenue | BRL $2.5 billion (2016) |
| Parent | Nestlé |
| Footnotes / references [1] |
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Chocolates Garoto S.A. is a well-known Brazilian company. It makes delicious chocolate and other sweet treats. The company's main office is in Vila Velha, a city in Espírito Santo, Brazil.
Garoto was started in 1929 by Heinrich Meyerfreund, who was an immigrant from Germany. Later, in 2002, a big company called Nestlé bought Garoto.
Contents
How Garoto Started (1929-2001)
Chocolates Garoto began on August 16, 1929. Heinrich Meyerfreund first named his company "H. Meyerfreund & Cia." It was a candy factory in a warehouse in Prainha, a neighborhood in Vila Velha.
Garoto's first product was a mint candy called Pastilha Garoto. These first candies were sold at tram stops in Vila Velha. Soon, they were also sold to stores in the capital city and other big cities in the state.
In 1934, Heinrich Meyerfreund received money from his parents. He used this money to buy machines to make chocolates. Two years later, he got more money to build a bigger, more modern factory. This new factory was in the Glória neighborhood, where Garoto's main factory still stands today.
With new buildings and chocolate products, the company grew quickly. Garoto started selling its sweets beyond the state of Espírito Santo. In 1938, Günther Zennig joined the company. He brought new ideas and money. This helped Garoto grow even more and become a modern company.
Garoto Joins Nestlé (2002-Today)
In 2002, Nestlé bought Garoto for about $240 million. However, in 2004, Brazil's competition authority, called CADE, stopped the sale. CADE wanted to make sure there was fair competition in the chocolate market.
So, for many years, Nestlé owned Garoto, but Garoto operated separately. Nestlé kept trying to fully combine the companies. In 2016, after more than 10 years of talks, Nestlé announced they were close to a deal with CADE. The deal meant Garoto would have to sell some of its brands. This was to prevent one company from having too much control of the market.
Garoto's Products
Today, Garoto is one of the biggest chocolate makers in Brazil. It sends its chocolates to many countries around the world. Garoto's chocolate bars are sold by different companies. For example, Walgreens used to sell Garoto candies under the name Regal Dynasty.
Sponsorships
On January 16, 2013, Garoto signed a big deal worth 200 million reais. This made Garoto the official chocolate for two major soccer events in Brazil. These events were the Confederations Cup in 2013 and the FIFA World Cup in 2014.
See also
External links
Images for kids
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Panoramic view of Brazilian city Vila Velha with the yellow and red Garoto factory.
