My Diet Life, a company owned by BF Brands group focused on weight loss accompanied by professional care, has just ended negotiations to open its first unit in Paraguay. The brand is a participant in Franchising Brasil — the result of a partnership between the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) and the Brazilian Franchising Association (ABF).
Represented by Matheus Velani, CEO of the BF Brands group, which also includes the natural products brands Bioflora and N.O.Z, My Diet Life arrived in Paraguay after the participation of the entrepreneur in the Paraguay and Bolivia Trade Mission 2022. The trip, promoted by Franchising Brasil, included the presence of six other Brazilian franchises and resulted in the forecasting of more than USD 1 million in new business for the delegation for the next 12 months.
With approximately 23 Brazilian brands operating 43 units in the Bolivian market and 34 brands with 111 operations in Paraguay, the trade mission’s goal was to expand Brazil’s commercial presence in South America. In order to do so, the initiative included several workshops, strategic technical visits and business roundtables between entrepreneurs, potential partners and investors from the two countries visited.
“The participation of My Diet Life in the Paraguay Mission, held by ABF and ApexBrasil, was of fundamental importance for the realization of our expansion in the country”, says Matheus Velani. “We participated in lectures and technical events, where we could understand the well functioning of companies in the region, and do contact with lawyers, accountants, marketing companies and consultants specialized in trademarks, patents and registrations of products. Not to mention the technical visits to stores, where we were able to direct our franchisee in the selection of the best commercial points. Our expectation is, after opening the first pilot unit in 2023, to expand throughout Paraguay”, concludes the businessman.
For Bruno Amado, Executive Manager of Franchising Brasil, the success story of My Diet Life’s internationalization demonstrates the gigantic potential of the South-American market to Brazilian franchises: “Possessing numerous competitive advantages such as geographic proximity, simplified tax system and less competition in relation to Brazil, in addition to customs and culture not far from ours. The Paraguayan and Bolivian markets are full of new business opportunities”, he concludes.
About Franchising Brasil
Franchising Brasil is a joint project of the Brazilian Franchising Association (ABF) and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil), which aims to support the internationalization strategy of Brazilian franchise networks and their international trade promotion. The initiative was conceived to promote this recognized business model in the main international markets.