Grupo Bimbo is the biggest Mexican food corporation and the largest bakery in the world[1] with brands in Latin America, Europe, China, United States and Canada.
History
Grupo Bimbo was established in Mexico in 1945 by Lorenzo Servitje, Jaime Sendra, Jose T. Mata, and Jaime Jorba. Today it is one of the most important baking companies in brand and trademark positioning, sales, and production volume around the world. The company is currently #5 among the largest food corporations in the world, just behind Unilever, Sara Lee, Kraft Foods and Nestlé[citation needed]. The company has plans to become the world's largest bread manufacturing company by 2010, with its expansion in China central to this effort. The company reported $5.26 billion in sales during 2006, a steep increase from the $4.67 billion in sales in 2004. The company has forecast this year's sales to be $6.5 billion, and $7.73 billion by the end of the 2007 fiscal year. In Mexico and Latin America, the company is the market share leader, selling over 5,000 products under more than 100 different brands[2].
Since 1980, Grupo Bimbo has been traded in the Mexican Stock Exchange. It comprises six organizations and a corporate department that operates companies in the baking industry and in general, in the food industry. The company also makes the majority of the machinery used in its factories through its industrial development branch, as well as a large part of the plastic packaging they use on their products.
The name "Bimbo" has no specific meaning in Spanish; thus, the name has not caused significant uproar as it would in the United States, where the word "bimbo" has a negative connotation. The official version has it that the name Bimbo, coined in 1945 when the company was rebranded from its previous name, Super Pan S.A., was chosen because the company thought it competed well with the existing Bambi and Dumbo brands in Mexico. In addition, the innocent, childlike name went well with the brand image they wanted to build[3].
In Mexico as in some Latin American countries, it is common to refer to any bread brand as "pan bimbo" (bimbo bread) instead of the proper "pan de caja" (loaf of bread). The name "Bimbo" has almost become a synonym for bread. The brand is highly trusted for quality and taste, and is known to have one of the most expansive distribution networks in Latin America, often making it available even in the most remote places.
In 1964, Grupo Bimbo introduced sliced bread in Spain. In 1978, the Mexican group sold all its shares and the Spanish firm operates independently[4] The Portuguese and Spanish Bimbo were acquired by Sara Lee in 2001[5] Many still refer to the bread as "pan bimbo"[citation needed].
The corporate image, a small white teddy bear, was inspired by a Christmas card sent by the grandson of the company's founder to his grandmother during the early 1950s[citation needed]. The teddy bear in the picture was thought to be ideal as Bimbo's corporate image, and was, literally, stripped from any clothes and applied only a white apron and a chef's hat[citation needed]. In order to represent Grupo Bimbo, which also encompasses non-food related companies, a new more traditional and mainstream logo was developed. However, the white teddy bear remains the image the general public most relates to Bimbo as a brand.
Expansion
On December 10, 2008 it was announced that Grupo Bimbo bought WFI (Weston Foods Inc.) a subsidiary of George Weston Ltd. for $2.38 billion, making Grupo Bimbo the largest bakery company in the USA and the only bakery in the USA with a national footprint. They now own brands such as Arnold, Boboli, Brownberry, Entenmann's, Freihofer's, Stroehmann, and Thomas', plus 22 factories and 4,000 delivery trucks.[6][7]
Grupo Bimbo is shirt sponsor for three of Mexicos top-flight professional soccer league Primera Division (First Division). Grupo Bimbos logo can be seen on the front of the América, Chivas de Guadalajara and Monterrey teams jerseys.
Delivering trucks
The
Bimbo Trucks Collection.
Up to twenty different truck models have been used as Bimbo delivery trucks since the late 1930s. These include 1960s Ford vans, 1990s Chevrolet, Renault, Dodge and Nissan. Mercedes Sprinter delivery vans are currently used. While Bimbo's vehicles were beige by the 1950s, Wonder, Marinela, Barcel and Bimbo trucks have been white since the 1960s, with Tía Rosa trucks remaining beige. Ricolino started using small leisure activity vehicles (Peugeot Partner and Renault Kangoo) coloured in royal blue. Twelve plastic 1:60 models of Bimbo trucks were released in 1998, ranging from the 1940s and 1950s beige panels from the 1990s electric van, and a special edition trailer. These were available in delivery vans and special packages where available, containing the blank model and stickers for the proper decoration.
Main Brands
-
Bimbo Delivery Truck in El Salvador
- Arnold/Oroweat - Producer of loaf bread primarily sold throughout the United States and Mexico.
- Barcel - Mexican brand producing potato chips and other confections, such as Duvalín. Primarily sold throughout the United States and Mexico.
- Bimbo - Producing cakes and bread. Bimbo breads and cakes are found in major United States cities with large Mexican and Mexican-American populations.
- Boboli - Producer of Ready Made Pizza Crusts
- Cena - Chilean budget bread brand
- Coronado - Cajeta and goat-milk caramel producer since 1932
- El Globo - Fine Mexican pastry bakery founded in 1884. (Bought in 2005 from Grupo Carso)
- Entenmann's - Pastry baker in the United States
- Freihofer's - Bread and Pastry baker originally based in Schenectady, NY, United States
- Ideal - Bimbo's Chilean bread brand. The Bimbo name is not used, but Ideal shares the same logo as Bimbo.
- Lara - Producer of salted and sweet cookies
- Marinela - Producer of Mexican cookies founded around 1950. In Colombia the brand is known as Marisela. Also sold throughout the United States.
- Milpa Real - Producer of corn and flour tortillas, as well as tostadas in different variations.
- Mrs. Baird's - A leading bakery primarily present in Texas and surrounding states.
- Plus Vita - Producer of bread, cakes and cereal bars in Brazil and Mexico.
- Pullman - Producer of bread and cakes in Brazil
- Ricolino - Producer of confectionary, candy and chocolates, with plants in Mexico, Europe and the United States.
- Stroehmann's - With Oroweat above, a producer of loaf bread in the United States
- Suandy - Producer of bread and pastry.
- Thomas - Producer of English Muffins and Bagels
- Tía Rosa - Producer of home-style bread, pastry and tortillas
- Wonder (Mexico only)[8] - Bread and pastry
- LonchiBon - Instant microwave food. Sold only in Mexico.
- BranFruit - Cereal bars. Sold only in Mexico.
References
- ^ http://www.eluniversal.com.mx/finanzas/68094.html
- ^ http://grupobimbo.com/display.php?section=2
- ^ http://grupobimbo.com/admin/content/uploaded/Historia%20Grupo%20Bimbo.pdf
- ^ Historia de Bimbo at the Bimbo Spanish Website.
- ^ Sara Lee at the Bimbo Spanish Website.
- ^ http://co.invertia.com/noticias/noticia.aspx?idNoticia=200812101423_TRM_77687389&idtel= Invertia
- ^ http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601082&sid=a9555nprwm4A&refer=canada Bloomberg
- ^ http://www.grupobimbo.com.mx
External links
