To Parahyba blankets, famous for the iconic jingle of the 1960s and 1970s “It’s time to sleep”complete 100 years this Friday (14). And what a centenary! Founded by a group of Portuguese businessmen in São José dos Campos (SP), the company went through striking historical moments: it survived the great depression, crossed the periods of superflation in Brazil, said Concordat and, more recently, faced the voracious competition of Chinese products.
The business, which even dominated 70% of the national market of blankets and blanketsno longer has the same size as before. Its former headquarters of 100 thousand square meters, listed by the historical heritage in 2020, produced up to 300 thousand blankets per month at its height. Today, the firm manufactures about 50 thousand products in the month in a unit of 2,500 square meters in the same municipality. Production has also evolved, becoming more agile and efficient.
“The market has changed. We seek new alternatives and niches to adapt to the current reality. I could no longer keep the old products, which were more expensive and focused on a specific audience. We needed to adapt to a more affordable market. The quality, however, remains, ”said Ricardo Kabbach, current president of Parahyba Coverings, who has been working at the company since 1970.
The origin
Before reaching the current model, Parahyba blankets went through a lot of history, which is confused with the development of the municipality of São Paulo and Brazil. The founding Europeans, who came to the country to install a weaving, eventually returned to the old continent. With this, a businessman named Olivo Gomes took control of the company in full, expanding production and making it a local and national reference.
“It was the first textile industry of São José dos Campos. It was characterized as one of the milestones of industrialization in the city, imprinting it urban physiognomy and inserting itself intensely in the social, economic and cultural life of the municipality. In 1938, she had 1,200 employees, corresponding to 8% of the 14,474 inhabitants of the municipality’s urban area, producing monthly 170,000 blankets and 180,000 meters from BRIM, ”said Tom Freitas, president of the Cassiano Ricardo Cultural Foundation, from São José dos Campos.
Historian Maria Helena Alves da Silva, from the University of Vale do Paraíba (Univap), said the company made new social dynamics develop. “Weaving was the first large industry to settle in the city and which offered work for both men and for women who, until then, had limited choices regarding employability. At various times, female labor has overcome the male in weaving, causing women to leave household chores to dedicate themselves to work in the industry. ”
The height of the company came in the 1960s, when it strongly invested in advertising. The iconic jingle “is already time for bed”, created by conductor Erlon Chaves, has become one of the most memorable on Brazilian TV. At that time, the company exported to Africa, the United States and Europe, with about 5,000 employees, according to Kabbach. In addition to São Paulo, he even had production units in Pernambuco.
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Turbulence
The life of a company, as well as that of a person, is made of ups and downs. The Gomes family, which controlled business, faced financial difficulties in the 1980s. One of the leaders of the time, Severo Gomes [que foi ministro nos anos 1980 e depois senador por São Paulo]died in the same plane crash that victimized federal deputy Ulysses Guimarães. The rampant inflation of that period and the lack of modernization also severely impacted the firm.
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“In the 1980s, inflation reached 70% per month. Sales were made on time, which consumed all working capital. When the company tried to seek credit, interest was already unsustainable. This seriously compromised the operation, ”said Luiz Antonio Di Sessa, director of Parahyba blankets.
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The firm agreed in 1983. “The Gomes family had to deliver part of the properties to pay off debts with creditors. With the State Government of São Paulo, the buildings of the Parahyba factory were negotiated, which had an area of 126,250 m², ”explained Freitas, from the Cassiano Ricardo Cultural Foundation.
In the years following the Concordat, a group of employees tried to rebuild the business through a cooperative. Current President Kabbach, who has had business relations with the company for over 50 years, has supported the cooperative. However, international competition and change in consumer habits have made the struggle for survival even more challenging. The cooperative has definitely closed the doors in 2021.
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Reinvention
Despite the challenges, the brand did not disappear. Even facing the harsh competition of China’s cheap and popular products, Kabbach, who held the rights on brand blankets Parahyba, reformulated the business, with the help of Sessa and team. Production has been reduced and focused on more profitable niches such as hotels and hospitals. Instead of the heavy wool and acrylic blankets of the past, the products have been modernized, following the new trends in the textile sector.
Currently, Parahyba blankets operates leanedly and adapted to the reality of the market. The factory continues in São José dos Campos, while the commercial office is in São Paulo. There are about 30 employees only. The company also invested in e-commerce, selling directly to the end consumer, not only its products, but also third party products.
With 100 years of history in the rearview mirror, the current management of Parahyba blankets wants to maintain the tradition and rely on the brand strength and affective memory of Brazilians to remain relevant. “Our focus is on keeping up to date and meeting the needs of our audience, always with quality,” said Sessa, who has been operating in the company since 2009.
