Kimberlit celebrates 35 years

Kimberlit Agrociências, a company of the Essere Group, celebrates its 35th anniversary with plans to grow until 2030. The company, which was "born" in 1989 in Batatais, with four employees, in an area of ​​150 m², is now located in Olímpia, in an area of ​​210 thousand m², where the factory with 15 thousand m² is installed. The company operates in Brazil and Paraguay and employs around 250 employees, which represents about 50% of all employees of the Essere Group.

Antonio Carlos de Gissi Junior, CEO of Essere Group, who has worked for the company since its acquisition in 1.994, comments on Kimberlit's plans. "We always look to the future with growth above the market. This year, Kimberlit's revenue will be a little over R$300 million, but we have plans to reach R$2030 million by 800. Usually, when we make a growth plan, we always achieve the results first. For example, by 2025 we plan something around R$360 million to R$380 million, in 2026 R$430 million, or R$450 million, in that range. So, we have a defined growth plan until 2030”, he states, adding that the Essere Group is already aiming to reach R$2026 billion in revenue by 1, with R$600 million this year, R$800 million next year and R$1 billion in 2026.

However, Gissi makes a point of valuing the quality and engagement of employees throughout the company's history. "This team that we have encourages us to achieve significant growth, to look ahead, even more than doubling our revenue. Kimberlit has always grown by more than 20%, sometimes 30%, and given these results, I want to emphasize that we can't do anything alone. We got where we are because of the people who work with us. The human aspect is our greatest differentiator."

As for an IPO, Gissi says that the group is always reassessing whether it is the right time. “An IPO could be a way to raise some funds to invest, to look to the future and plan to go from R$1 billion to R$2 billion, but in a way that allows us to continue to control the company. This is something we are not ruling out,” he explains.

His brother, Luciano de Gissi, has been with Kimberlit since Gissi took over the company and today, in addition to being a partner, is the Chief Operating Officer of the Essere Group. Luciano says that the idea of ​​filing an IPO is to be able to support the investments. “To scale, we need more muscle. We already have control of the product, technology, and market, and we just need investments to scale even stronger. To increase from R$600 million to R$800 million is not that big, but if we make 2, 3, 4, or 5 billion reais in revenue, we will need this structure. Our goal is for the company to grow and survive in the market, always following the path of most companies, being on the Stock Exchange, delivering results to shareholders.”

Luciano says that the group invests in the development of products with a lot of technology. “We have an internal technical team of more than 10 PhDs. We have partnerships with several universities and research foundations for product development, we work with products that are indispensable and help farmers produce food. We believe that there is no way for the market to shrink. Brazil is responsible for 25% of all food production in the world. Therefore, we need to grow”, he says.

He says that he dedicated his 30 years within the company to helping Kimberlit reach its current size. “From a small company, we managed to run it with a lot of care, dedication, hard work, study and patience. The company is our life. Not even in my wildest dreams did I think it would grow this much. And this is supported by all of our employees. Most of the people who work at the company dream the same thing as us. The friendships we have within the company are gratifying. It is not just a business relationship, it is a relationship of respect and admiration for people. This relationship is something that grows, is sustainable, solid, long-lasting and pleasurable. We managed to bring all of this together. This is the great differentiator of our company”, he says.

One of these people is Renato Peixoto, who has been at Kimberlit for over 17 years, serving as CFO. Over the past three years, he has been responsible for creating the CSC (Shared Services Center), contributing to the strategic design and founding of the Essere Group, where he holds the position of CFO, CSC Director and Investor Relations Director. He says that he arrived at the company at a time of instability, due to market problems. "The company needed a transformation, it needed to look ahead. We are currently going through another type of challenging time, we have to structure our group of companies for strong growth in the next harvests. We need to keep looking ahead. Restructuring the fundamentals means reassessing controls, the management system, developing and having metrics to evaluate people and processes, strengthening our programs to reward and encourage employees who contribute most to the company", he explains.

In his view, the future of Kimberlit lies in continuing its mission to support farmers in feeding the world. "We have reached 35 years, which is a huge feat when you consider the average mortality rate of companies in Brazil, which is between two and three years." Regarding the immediate future, Renato says that it is necessary to work towards the company's sustainability. "Our obligation as managers is to make Kimberlit last forever. But looking at the short and medium term, the company and the agricultural sector must increasingly use the capital markets. We are even considering a future IPO project. We need to structure the company so that it can have access to credit lines with a lower cost of capital and thus be able to pass this on to finance our client's harvest period," he says.

He comments that the company's path also involves internationalization. "Although there is a lot of space in Brazil, we must increasingly look abroad, because we are seeing that producers from other countries look to Brazil and say they want our products." Renato states that Kimberlit is a living organism, in constant evolution, and that the big difference that makes the company evolve is the people. "Looking at where we came from and the path we are following, I thank everyone who participated and who participates in this evolution. Many people support us in all areas, our customers, our partners, suppliers, advisors, researchers, financiers. I feel grateful to everyone, knowing that I was part of this 35-year history of success, but most of it was done by all our other people," he concludes.