The Challenge

Convi Foods is a food production company with a diverse product portfolio spanning frozen goods, specialty items, and emerging dry-line products. The company had built a solid customer base and was growing. However, beneath the surface, a critical problem was holding them back: they couldn't see their own financial reality.

The company's financial data was scattered across multiple systems and spreadsheets. Bank accounts, accounting records, and operational data didn't align. Nobody could answer basic questions: What's our actual margin? Which products are profitable? How much cash do we really have? The team was making decisions based on incomplete information, and growth was becoming harder to manage.

"We had data everywhere, but no clarity," one leader explained. "We were flying blind. We knew we were growing, but we couldn't tell if we were actually making money."

The problems ran deep. Invoices were duplicated. Receivables were anticipated without clear tracking. Costs weren't allocated properly to products. The company had no standardized pricing framework—prices were set ad hoc, often without understanding the true cost of production. Debt was fragmented across multiple lenders with different terms. And the team was spending enormous amounts of time on manual reconciliation instead of strategic planning.

Most critically, the company couldn't forecast cash flow with confidence. They didn't know if they could meet payroll next month. This uncertainty made it impossible to invest in growth or negotiate confidently with customers and lenders.

The Solution

The transformation started with a decision: get the financial house in order. The leadership team committed to building a single source of truth for financial data and decision-making.

The first step was implementing a standardized DRE (Demonstração do Resultado do Exercício—income statement) framework. Instead of relying on fragmented spreadsheets, the team created a unified financial model that tracked revenue, variable costs, contribution margin, fixed costs, and EBITDA in one place. This wasn't just a reporting tool—it became the foundation for every business decision.

"Once we had a real DRE, everything changed," a finance leader noted. "We could finally see where money was coming from and where it was going."

Parallel to this, the company tackled cost visibility. They developed detailed cost sheets for each product, including raw materials, packaging, labor, waste allowances, and freight. This revealed uncomfortable truths: some products weren't as profitable as they thought. Others had hidden cost drivers that nobody had tracked before.

With costs clarified, the team built a cost-based pricing framework. Instead of guessing at prices, they now calculated the exact cost of production and applied a target margin. They created separate pricing tables for different customer segments and introduced volume-based pricing to reward larger orders and protect margins on smaller ones.

The company also restructured its debt. Multiple loans with different terms were consolidated into a single facility with better rates and predictable payments. This freed up cash and reduced the complexity of managing multiple lenders.

On the operational side, the team optimized the workforce. They reorganized roles, adjusted compensation structures, and aligned staffing with actual demand. They implemented a production planning system to track planned versus actual output, reducing waste and improving capacity utilization.

Throughout this process, there was 100% commitment from leadership. The CEO and finance team met regularly to review data, validate assumptions, and make decisions quickly. They brought in external support where needed—consultants to help map processes, advisors to guide debt restructuring, and system experts to ensure data integrity.

"The key was treating this like a business transformation, not just a finance project," the leadership team reflected. "Everyone had to be involved. Sales understood pricing. Operations understood costs. Finance understood the business."

The Transformation

The results were substantial and measurable.

Immediate Financial Wins: Monthly operating expenses dropped from approximately 75,000 to 45,000—a reduction of roughly 40%. Labor costs fell from about 19,000 to 10,000 per month. These weren't cuts that hurt the business; they were efficiency gains from better organization and smarter staffing.

Cash flow visibility improved dramatically. The team could now forecast monthly cash position with confidence. They understood exactly when cash would be tight and when they had room to invest.

Pricing and Margin Improvements: With the new pricing framework, the company identified opportunities to improve margins across the portfolio. Products that had been underpriced were repriced. The company introduced tiered pricing based on volume, which incentivized larger orders and protected margins on smaller ones. Contribution margins moved toward target ranges of 40-45% for key products, up from the ad hoc pricing that had prevailed before.

Operational Efficiency: The production planning system gave real visibility into capacity. The team could see bottlenecks—like packaging—and plan investments strategically. They began exploring automation opportunities with clear ROI calculations, something that would have been impossible without understanding true costs.

Strategic Clarity: Perhaps most importantly, the company could now pursue growth strategically. They launched a new dry-line product category (soups and other shelf-stable items) with clear margin targets and production plans. They could negotiate confidently with large customers like BRF, presenting transparent cost structures and defending margins. They could diversify away from dependence on any single customer.

Debt and Cash Management: The debt restructuring freed up monthly cash flow. The company moved from a fragmented debt situation to a single, manageable loan with predictable payments. This stability enabled them to think beyond survival and focus on growth.

Cultural Shift: Perhaps the most important transformation was cultural. The team went from making decisions based on gut feel to making them based on data. Sales understood the cost of what they were selling. Operations understood the impact of their decisions on margins. Finance could explain the business in simple terms that everyone understood.

"Now when we make a decision, we know why," a team member said. "We can see the impact. That changes everything about how you run a business."

Looking Forward

Convi Foods is now positioned for sustainable growth. The financial foundation is solid. The team has visibility into what works and what doesn't. They're pursuing new customer relationships and product lines from a position of strength, not desperation.

The company continues to refine its systems. They're working toward full automation of reconciliation and reporting. They're exploring new markets and customer segments. They're investing in capacity and capability with confidence.

Most importantly, they've proven that transformation is possible. It takes commitment, discipline, and the right support. But when you get your financial house in order, everything else becomes possible.

"We're not just surviving anymore," the leadership team reflected. "We're building something sustainable. And we can see exactly where we're going."