At the beginning of the 1950s, when Brazil was going through its famous “golden years”, the couple Cenira Gusso and Carlito Gusso were invited to play, on Thursdays, at a restaurant inside Sociedade 5 de Julho, an old club located in Xaxim neighborhood, in Curitiba (PR). At the time, the capital of Paraná still had mud roads.
Of Italian origin, Cenira and Carlito decided to serve their regulars a family recipe of country chicken risottomade with medium-rare rice and grated Grana Padana cheese, typical of the Po Valley, in Italy, on top. The dish became so famous and popular that the mayor at the time, Ney Braga, installed a landline on site to reserve a table in advance.
The couple probably didn’t imagine it, but the risotto would give rise, years later, to Risottolandthe largest collective meal company in the South region and one of the five largest in Brazil. The business operates in seven states – Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Minas Gerais and Mato Grosso do Sul – and serves 300 cities. This year, it hopes to earn R$700 millionaccording to the company’s CEO, Carlos Humberto de Souza.
Before becoming Risottolândia, risotto was served in other clubs in Curitiba, such as Sociedade Morgenau, and even had its own restaurant, called “Risotto do Xaxim”. It was only in the 1970s, when the couple’s son Carlos Antônio Gusso took over the business at the request of the country, that the collective meals business became the flagship.
“Carlos Gusso began to realize that the market for lunch meals was not risotto, but rather rice and beans. It was a time when company employees started to come and have lunch in their own place in society. So he starts working with the corporate meal we have today”, says Souza, married to Sandra Gusso de Souza, now one of the owners.
In 2014, Carlos Gusso decided to step away from managing the company, transferring control to his four children, who are now the shareholders. “So, I have a job as a son-in-law”, jokes Souza, who joined the company in 1983 and pursued a career before becoming CEO. He worked as an administrative advisor, worked in the commercial area, was deputy director and also superintendent. Although ownership remains in the family, governance is shared: there is an advisory board that combines two family members and three external professionals with recognized market reputation.
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Transformations
A series of changes in Brazil and the capital of Paraná drove the transformation of the business. In 1976, the federal government launched the Workers’ Food Program (PAT), which offered tax benefits to companies that provided food for their employees. At the same time, the creation of the Industrial City of Curitiba (largest neighborhood in the capital and industrial hub), in 1973, led large industries to locate in areas further away from the center, where there were no facilities for meals. “There was a lot of opportunity,” says Souza.
The first client served by Risotolândia was Labra, one of the main manufacturers of pens, pencils and office items at the time. The head of the company’s human resources department was a fan of chicken risotto. Risotolândia began delivering 90 meals to employees at the site, based in Araucária, in the metropolitan region of the capital.
With the collective meal business expanding, in 1981 Risotolândia set up its first industrial kitchen, with a production capacity of 3 thousand meals a day, in Araucária. Five years later, the business was already distributing 16,500 meals per day. At the beginning of the 90s, it rose to 34,500. In 2004, it jumped to 175 thousand meals, and, ten years later, the number reached 440 thousand. Currently, there are 550 thousand meals per day, and 5.2 thousand employees, 86% of whom are women.
From schools to hospitals
After starting in the corporate meals business, the company expanded into other sectors. Still in the 90s, Risolândia won a tender and began operating in the public sector, specifically in school meals. In 2008, the company began serving private schools. In the corporate sector, it currently serves companies such as Becton Dickinson (), Abbott (), Grupo Positivo, TAM Aviação Executiva and Intermarine.
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In 2018, he decided to explore the health sector, with specialized food for doctors, companions, employees and patients. During the pandemic period, it also entered the ready-made and deep-frozen food and meal business. Finally, he decided to explore the logistics and facilities sector. Today, 68% of the company’s operations are in the public sector and 32% in the private sector.
Seven brands currently make up the group: Risotolândia Corporate Restaurants, Risotolândia Serviços Inteligentes de Alimentação and It’s Cool (for private schools); Eat’s Good, in the frozen ready meals segment; Campodoro, in the logistics and transport sector; and R Facilities, designed to outsource reception, cleaning, gardening, concierge and maintenance services, in addition to other activities.
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Future
For the future, the company intends to expand its operations in the healthcare sector, says Souza. Furthermore, it sees potential in markets such as airports and bus stations. Creating products with greater validity and industrial standards is another goal to optimize processes and reduce costs. “We are in a time of consolidation and innovation. Brazil still offers many opportunities, especially with the economic recovery”, concludes Souza.
