Early history and launch of Garoto (1929-2001)

Panoramic view of Brazilian city Vila Velha with the yellow and red Garoto factory.

The company Chocolates Garoto was founded on August 16, 1929, by the German immigrant Heinrich Meyerfreund, with the name of candy factory H. Meyerfreund & Cia., in a warehouse located in Prainha, a neighborhood located in the city of Vila Velha in the Brazilian state Espírito Santo. Garoto started by producing the Pastilha Garoto mint. The first candies were first sold at the local tram stops in Vila Velha and subsequently distributed to commercial clients, both in the capital and in other major cities of the state.

In 1934, Heinrich Meyerfreund received an inheritance from his parents and bought machines for the production of chocolates. Two years later, he obtained financing to set up a more modern factory in the Glória neighborhood, where Garoto's industrial park still stands today. With new infrastructure and chocolate-based products, the company entered a phase of strong growth and began selling beyond the limits of Espírito Santo.

In 1938, business was boosted when Günther Zennig joined the company. He brought in new investments and expanded and modernized the production and commercial structure of the company, bringing with him a new entrepreneurial vision for Garoto.

Acquisition and recent history (2002-today)

In 2002, Nestlé acquired Garoto for around $240 million. In 2004 however, the sale was vetoed by the Brazilian competition authority (CADE) in order to keep a healthy level of competition in the domestic chocolate market.^[1] In the following years, Garoto was therefore owned by Nestlé but operated separately. Nestlé continued to explore options for a full integration and in 2016, after more than 10 years of negotiation, the company announced to be close to signing a deal with CADE for a full merger. The conditions included that the company has to sell several brands to avoid a market concentration above 40%.^[2]