Those who are older will certainly remember the orange can of Minancora. The one that spent decades in cabinets and drawers in Brazilian homes, often reused as a holder for things.
More than a century after the company was founded, em Joinville (SC), the company’s sole shareholder, Lourdes Maria Duarte, still resists the idea of selling the business created by her Portuguese great-grandfather Eduardo Augusto Gonçalves.
In a conversation with Pipeline, from Valor Econômico, she stated that they were never absent, and that talking about business is not ruled out. But he reinforces that the company remains independent.
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Created in 1915, Minancora was born from the knowledge that Gonçalves brought from Coimbra to Brazil. Lourdes says that her great-grandfather first arrived in Manaus before migrating to the south of the country and carried the formulas “in his head and in his suitcase”. During the day, he worked normally; At night, he produced cosmetics by hand, while his partner helped pack the products.
The brand name also emerged from this mix of references. Minerva, goddess of wisdom, was united to the anchor, a symbol of solidity.
From artisanal production to presence throughout Brazil
Long before logistics became a business strategy, Gonçalves already traveled the country along rivers to personally distribute cans of the ointment. According to Lourdes, it was through word of mouth that the company built national distribution.
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The company continues to this day with just one factory, in the district of Pirabeiraba, in Joinville. Lourdes took charge in 1991, after working as a lawyer in Curitiba. According to her, the decision came after a call from her grandmother, who said that the company needed new blood and insisted that her granddaughter take over the family business.
The transition was not simple and required a lot of dedication, in addition to the support of people who already worked at the company. At the same time, the company began to separate areas such as marketing, production and sales, but maintaining the orange color chosen by the founder. According to Lourdes, her great-grandfather said that the product needed to attract attention on the shelf.
Also in the 1990s, Minancora expanded its presence on television, appearing on talk shows such as Gugu Liberato and Silvio Santos, and created the Minancorino mascot.
Lourdes stated that many people still remember the campaigns starring Claudia Jimenez. In the best-known advertisement, the actress played a telemarketing agent who recommended Minancora for practically any situation. The product turns 111 years old this Friday (29).
The fight for young people’s attention
After going through the arrival of multinationals in the Brazilian market, changes in and new consumer trends, the brand is now trying to find space in an environment dominated by personal care brands.
According to Lourdes, the company is betting precisely on the emotional value associated with previous generations. She claims to notice this movement in habits such as the resumption of old names and the interest in clothes and products linked to family memories.
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In recent years, Minancora started looking for micro-influencers with more than 5 thousand followers to act as brand ambassadors on TikTok. The company realized it needed to reach new audiences and adapt communication to speak the language of young people. On Instagram, the brand has around 150 thousand followers.
Even without disclosing numbers, the company maintains practically full presence in Brazilian pharmaceutical retail. According to director Alcione Siqueira, Lourdes’ right-hand man, there are around 90,000 active drugstores in the country. He stated that the company sells directly to large chains, while national and regional distributors serve the rest of the market.
Siqueira also said that the company is preparing to launch two new products, one of them involving a new molecule in medicines.
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As for the brand’s continuity, Lourdes stated that everything is already planned. Without going into details, he said that there is a structured plan and “everything written down” to guarantee succession when he leaves the command of Minancora.
