About

Dona Leonor Carrinho desire to overcome made the ability to envision an opportunity emerge in the midst of the adversity that the family was experiencing. Created as a means of subsistence for her children, in the backyard of her own residence, the bar was managed by Dona Leonor and had the support of her 3 children and a niece.

An informal agreement with Sonangol marked the beginning of Leonor Carrinho history in the business sector: it was established between the parties that the company's technicians, who went to Lobito, would have their meals at Dona Leonor's bar. This agreement, the company's first formal deal, generated an annual income of about USD 120,000.00.

The agreement with Sonangol contributed significantly to the reputation of Dona Leonor Carrinho kitchen, which allowed the expansion of service to the Lobitanga public and the growth of the business. During this period, the National Electricity Company (ENE) also joined the list of Dona Leonor Carrinho clients, consolidating its entrepreneurial aspirations.

In 2002, the Carrinho family decided to invest USD 10,000 in the opening of Bar Império, a step that would forever change the history of the organization. This bar, owned by Caminhos de Ferro de Benguela (CFB), was operated under an operating concession contract.

The relationships established with the different personalities who frequented Bar Império opened doors to the opportunity to work with Odebrecht. This period was decisive for Leonor Carrinho business learning, providing several investment opportunities in other businesses, some of which ended up being discontinued.

The commercial partnership with Odebrecht, which began in 2005, served as a "management school" for the precursors of the Carrinho project. The alignment with Odebrecht's corporate culture, which forced us to think about efficiency, provided excellent business opportunities, eventually increasing sales volume exponentially. The application of Odebrecht's innovative management methods allowed Leonor Carrinho to integrate 34 kitchens across the country into its business portfolio. Odebrecht proved crucial in opening up opportunities outside Benguela, which forced the company to learn and realize the importance of trusting third parties. The application of Odebrecht's innovative management methods gradually allowed it to integrate 34 kitchens spread throughout the country into its business portfolio.

One of the company's great achievements was the logistics of assembling 30 stores of the "Nosso Super" supermarket chain throughout the country, carried out in record time with Leonor Carrinho fleet of trucks. This made Leonor Carrinho one of the companies in Angola that contracted the most land transport freight, leading it to accidentally enter the freight transport business.

Between 2008 and 2009, at the peak of the 34 kitchens, the logistics of Nosso Super, Camargo Corrêa, Queiroz Galvão, among others, Leonor Carrinho sold 43M USD/year. At this time, the end of the Odebrecht era began, with the growing world crisis that began to be felt in Angola. The relationship with Odebrecht exists to this day through BIOCOM.

Not everything was a bed of roses. The company faced challenges that paved the way for the advances we have achieved and that are evident today. During this period, with the reduction of the works of the public investment program, the volume of business also decreased. The harsh reality taught them to deal with and overcome adversity, including the failure of the first attempt to open the Bem Barato stores, which were closed a few months later due to bankruptcy, and the extinction of the company's own truck transport business.

First steps in the Public Sector

Finally, after postponing for many years doing business with public entities, Leonor Carrinho decided to integrate the Angolan Armed Forces (FAA) into its portfolio of Catering customers. As a result, between 2012 and 2014, opportunities arose to supply baskets and motor vehicles to the FAA.

Affirmation and Evolution

The relationship with public entities gained momentum with the supply agreement to the Ministry of the Interior (MININT). This led to the expansion of business with the public sector, enabling the evolution of the supply chain, which had a major impact on the development of the company's logistics division.

The Bem Barato store chain reopened, with a different dynamic, which allows it to be the only genuinely Angolan player among the five largest distributors of basic food basket in Angola.

The most important milestone was the transformation of the company from a commercial group into an industrial group, with the inauguration of the Carrinho Industrial Complex consisting of 17 factories. This has enabled the acceleration of the implementation of the vertical integration vision, from origination to commercialization.

Currently with 19 factories, the Carrinho Group has one of the most complete industrial complexes in the world, which allows it to process rice, wheat, corn and refine oil, in addition to transforming and packaging more than 20 various consumer goods.