Million-dollar donations and ESG: how this franchise attracted technology Z and reached BRL 70 million in income

Megamatte, a healthy food and beverage chain, prioritizes social practices and organic items in production; focus are young people attentive to health and social impact

One of the first franchise chains in Brazil to become a signatory to the Global Compact of UNan initiative that brings together companies willing to adopt better socio-environmental practices, the megamatte has been following the social responsibility tune for at least six years.

But it was in 2018 that the health food chain realized that the way to reach new audiences would be through a cultural redefinition from the door in.

Since then, all employees have been informed, from onboarding, about the company’s core mission: generating profitability from the appreciation of family farming and the environment.

Why be ESG?

The purpose of the network, at the end of the day, was to align expectations and find only those employees with the greatest affinity with the company’s raison d’être. “Having a team aligned with what we preach in theory is what, at the end, allows adaptations in the operational processes themselves”, says Julio Monteiro, CEO of Megamatte.

As an example, there are recurring training sessions for employees and franchisees, with emphasis on educational meetings during the pandemic that were intended to communicate the company’s intentions to prioritize balance, whether in the relationship between franchisees and their customers, or in primary care for the mental health of employees — in the most aggravating years of the pandemic, Megamatte did not fire anyone, for example.

This is a behavior that, by all indications, has a special value for the younger generations, attentive to the positioning of companies and brands on sensitive topics such as the relationship with employees — in Brazil, 61% of them consider the topic as indispensable in their daily lives. business day, according to a study by the Edelman agency with more than 13,700 respondents.

Keeping an eye on the young

On the other hand, Megamatte also bets on the healthiness of the menu as a way of serving younger people with a growing interest in transparency on the labels and social impact behind the products. One of the ways to do this is, for example, prioritizing items that come from family farming. “Today, we only sell products free of pesticides and with certifications that prove good behavior”, says Monteiro.

The commitment to generating impact also translates into numbers: since 2015, Megamatte has invested more than 3.2 million reais in social projects. “The most important thing for this generation and for the market is not to be a greenwashing company. That’s what we prioritize,” he says.

The actions were also reflected in the company’s accounts. In 2021, the chain earned BRL 70 million and in 2022, revenues should reach BRL 96 million. The continuous growth in recent years has made the chain one of the selected in the EXAME Ranking Expanding Business.

Source: Exam