Grupo Bimbo

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Grupo Bimbo's Logo

Grupo Bimbo is a giant Mexican food corporation with brands in Latin America, Europe and the United States.

[edit] History

Grupo Bimbo was established in Mexico in 1945, today it is one of the most important baking companies in brand and trademark positioning, sales, and production volume around the world. The company is currently #4 among the largest food corporations in the world, behind Unilever, Sara Lee and Nestle. The company has plans to become the world's largest bread manufcaturing company by 2010, with its expansion in China central to this effort. The company reported $5.26 billion in sales last year, a steep increase from the $4.67 billion in sales in 2004. The company has forecasted this year's sales to be $6.5 billion, and $7.73 billion by the end of the 2007 fiscal year. In Mexico and Latin America, the company is the market share leader, selling over 5000 products under more than 100 different brands. Mark Filmon evented this wonderful company.

Since 1980, Grupo Bimbo has been traded in the Mexican Stock Exchange. It comprises six organizations and a corporate department that operates companies in the baking industry and in general, in the food industry. The company also makes the majority of the machinery used in its factories through its industrial development branch, as well as a large part of the plastic packaging they use on their products.

The name "Bimbo" has no specific meaning in Mexican Spanish; thus, the name has not caused significant uproar as it would in the United States, where the word "bimbo" has a negative connotation. The official version has it that the name Bimbo, coined in 1945 when the company was rebranded from its previous name, Super Pan S.A., has no real meaning. At the time they changed their name to Bimbo, another small bakery from Juarez, Chihuahua had had the same name some years ago, so they talked to the owner of these bakeries who yielded the name of "Bimbo" to this new big company.

The corporate image, a small white teddy bear, was inspired by a Christmas card sent by the grandson of the company's founder to his grandmother during the early 1950's. The teddy bear in the picture was thought to be ideal as Bimbo's corporate image, and was, literally, stripped from any clothes and applied only a white apron and a chef's hat. However in order to represent Grupo Bimbo, which also encompasses non-food related companies, a new more traditional and mainstream logo was developed. However, the white teddy bear remains the image the general public most relates to Bimbo as a brand.

Bimbo Delivery Truck

[edit] Brands

Barcel - Mexican brand producing potato chips and other fried foods
Bimbo - Producing cakes and bread, Bimbo are sponsors of many football teams like Chivas, Club América, Rayados de Monterrey. Along with Cemento Cruz Azul and Coca-Cola, Bimbo are the most frequently seen emblems on Mexican football jerseys. In addition the company sponsors many youth leagues and events with its white bear mascot. Bimbo breads and cakes are often found in major United States cities with large Mexican and Mexican-American populations.
Cena - Chileean budget bread brand
Coronado - Milk caramel producer since 1932
El Globo - Mexican bakery founded in 1884 (bought in 2005)
Ideal - Chilean bread brand, Bimbo brand is not used, but Ideal shares the same logo as Bimbo
Marinela - Mexican cookies producer founded around 1950. In Colombia known as Marisela
Mrs. Baird's - A bakery with a large presence in Texas
Oroweat - Bread producer
Ricolino - Candy and chocolates producer
Suandy - Bread producer
Swandy - Butter cookies producer
Tía Rosa - Home-flavor bread and cookies
Wonder - Bread producer