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With the opening of a new factory, a carbon-neutral cheese bread brand, NUU Alimentos, expands its product line.

  • Published on February 9, 2022

In November 2021, at points of sale in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Minas Gerais, NUU Alimentos launched the newest creation: the cheese bread pizza. The product brings variety to the portfolio, alongside cheese bread and tapioca sticks, and follows the production pattern that has already become known by the brand: careful preparation, as if it was made at home, carbon-neutral, and sustainable practices, from soil to plate.

The cheese bread pizza is gluten-free and initially has five options, flavors carefully chosen to reproduce the farm experience – one of the pillars of the brand. Margherita, made with raw milk cheese; the sausage with artisanal sausage; and the smoked chicken one has curd cheese produced in the region. On the other hand, Sweets value classics from Minas Gerais cuisine, dulce de leche, and guava paste with cheese.

The recipe, developed by chef Erik Nako, happened almost like an accident. “The idea came when we had a temporary store in Rio de Janeiro. The place was a pizzeria, and we inherited the oven.

One day, Erik let a few kilos of cheese bread thaw. In order not to waste it, he reworked the dough, opened it and made a pizza”, says Rafaela Gontijo, owner of NUU. After the stroke of luck, the product passed through the research and development team and arrived at the ideal base made with cassava, “which brings even more flavor and strengthens regional artisanal flour producers,” completes the businesswoman.

 

Cheese bread pizza is sold pre-baked and frozen to be finished at home. The preparation can be done in the conventional oven, air fryer, or even frying pan. It is ready in about 20 minutes, depending on the utensil chosen. “The right point is when the filling is golden, and the edges are crispy,” reveals Rafaela.

Farm flavor and carbon neutral

NUU Alimentos was founded in 2015 by businesswoman Rafaela Gontijo from Minas Gerais. Graduated in International Relations, Rafaela dedicated herself for years to executive positions in large companies until the birth of her twin daughters awakened the urgency of bringing a positive impact to the food industry. Sustainability is the main ingredient of NUU, which has been outlining a model for a regenerative industry – carbon neutral, valuing small producers, a factory with the circular economy, packaging compensation, among other highlights.

The business started small, with the sale of cheese bread at product fairs in Rio de Janeiro. Inspired by the recipe that appeared on the table on the farm where Rafaela was raised, the product gained more and more customers and conquered large markets and chains and coffee shops in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, and Espírito Santo. In a short time, the tapioca stick, made with only three ingredients – milk, flour, and cheese, became the main star of the brand.

NUU comes from the classic Minas Gerais expression “nuu,” an abbreviation of ours, and portrays a “naked” product without gluten, dyes, or flavorings. On the packaging, developed by designer Ian Lenz, Rafaela’s husband, the list of ingredients highlighted with the slogan “Ingredients, or rather, protagonists of our history,” such as cheese, milk, eggs, starch, water, butter, salt, and only.

The cheese bread pizza marks the debut of the new factory, inaugurated in October also in Patos de Minas, with a production capacity 500% greater than the current circulation (will reach 100 tons/month). The businesswoman invested 3.5 million reais (6 hundred euros) in raising the structure sustainably. The new headquarters has 210 photovoltaic energy boards (210 modules of 445 wp - 93.45kWp, savings of approximately 1,8 thousand euros/month in energy), rainwater collection of 10 thousand liters, and a concrete floor for water absorption, cesspool filter for effluent treatment, glass windows for natural light, thermo-acoustic tile to keep the temperature 8 degrees below the external area and compost bin on land for organic waste, in addition to having 100% compensation for packaging by the "Eu Reciclo" seal.

The choice of suppliers is also a fundamental part of the process. Invista Foods is the partner of NUU in developing a supplier ranking made. The model requires a primary analysis and a checklist, and farms must be in a maximum ratio of 40 kilometers away from the headquarters. If the small producer has a score above 70, he can be a partner of NUU and go through a training program to adapt to sustainability principles.

NUU is carbon neutral, and to assist in calculating greenhouse gas emissions; it relies on the knowledge and expertise of Way Carbon and Amigos do Clima. The way to reach the result considers from the gases emitted by dairy farming to the oven where the products get ready in the consumer’s home. The compensation is made in preserving the Amazon Forest in Paragominas, Pará. The startup is part of Conscious Capitalism. The company won a UN award and recently entered the selection of the 50 companies globally to have the title “UN Best Small Business: Good For All.”

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