Brazilian Footwear: How long did you study in Novo Hamburgo?

Dos Santos: I am from the last class of Senai that did Technical Education, doing High School in the morning and shoe technician classes in the afternoon. It was three years of the course, between 2000 and 2003, and another half year of internship, which at that time I did at Zenglein, producer of the Giulia Domna brand. I learned a lot about shoes in Rio Grande do Sul and my father's dream was that I would take the course to be a modeler because there was a difficulty, at that time, of finding technicians in São João Batista. And when I went back to the factory, I went through all the areas to learn a little bit. In this return we also started with some improvements in the factory and the production had already grown a lot, going from 1,000 pairs/day to 2/3, 000 pairs/day. I got to make some models in the factory, I was learning but I ended up dedicating myself to commercial and development. Then, I went to Business School at Univale-University of Vale do Itajaí, graduated and have been working here at the company for more than 20 years. We are a family business, my father is one of the founding partners. Today who runs the business is me, my sister Ana Clara, who is the financial director, my brother Aderbalzinho who does the export part.

Brazilian Footwear: Has the company always been focused on the female segment?
Dos Santos: Yes, ALA was born making women's shoes. When the company started it was only women's shoes in leather, two collections a year, only black and coffee. In the 2000s, we started to implement synthetics in P.U, which had improved a lot in Brazil. On July 17, 2005, we launched Zatz. At that time, Zatz started working with leather shoes and we kept the ALA brand to work with synthetics. Then we repositioned the two brands, Zatz as fast-fashion in synthetic and ALA brand as casual, also in synthetic. Since 2007, the production of Calçados ALA is 100% synthetic. And from there, we keep growing.

Brazilian Footwear: What is the daily production of the company today? And how much of the production is intended for export?
Dos Santos: Today, we have a daily production of 8 to 9 thousand pairs per day in summer and in winter between 7 to 8 thousand pairs. Our production is 100% in Santa Catarina. In the headquarters in São João Batista we have today almost 450 employees and in Canelinha there are 150 collaborators. Currently, 15% of production is destined for export and 85% for the domestic market. We are working to resume the company's historical average of 25% in exports. The main countries we work with are those in South and Central America, as well as England, which was the largest destination in 2021. In both markets, internal and external, we work with our own brand and private label.

Brazilian Footwear: In January 2025, Calçados ALA completes 40 years of foundation. Are you planning a special celebration?
Dos Santos: Well, 40 years is not for just anyone. The company has gone through many challenges and we preach a lot that our greatest asset is our credit. It's been 40 years with the same CNPJ, we only changed our address three times because we were growing. So solidity, I believe, is a milestone of that trajectory. To speak of Calçados ALA is to speak of credibility and guarantee of a good partnership. We are planning several actions to celebrate these 40 years with our employees, but also with our customers.

Brazilian Footwear: And speaking of these 40 years, do you have any moments or curiosities that you would like to share?
Dos Santos: I remember that in 2003 we moved from the old headquarters to a new building, which is where we are today. At the time, we built a 30 by 60 meter shed and thought we would never fill up. What happened, a year later we had to double the size of this shed due to the growth of the company. We also had to increase the part of the expedition and we continued to expand.

Brazilian Footwear: BFSHOW is the largest footwear fair in the country. How is the expectation for the event?
Dos Santos: We have very high expectations for both the big players in the Northeast and for importers. And as we want to grow in exports, the Fair is aligned with the work we are doing to retake the 25, 30% in the international market. We really believe that BFSHOW will be the key turning point with a slightly warmer market.

Brazilian Footwear: How is 2024 and what are the expectations for 2025?
Dos Santos: 2022 was excellent, off the curve. In 2023, we ended up reducing when compared to 2022, but also because the ruler ended up going up. Now, we are seeing growth again. The projection is to end 2024 with a 10% increase in turnover and production. For 2025, we want to seek another 10% increment, we are working on strategies to improve distribution, seek a greater number of medium and small customers, pay special attention to them, but without forgetting the large customers that are also important.

Brazilian Footwear: since you mentioned investments, which ones are you doing?
Dos Santos: Last year, we invested in the factory and we will continue to do so. We are investing in the business, as I said, we've bought equipment and machines, as well as looking for an environment and better working condition for employees.

Brazilian Footwear: Finally, what word could define the 40-year trajectory of Calçados ALA?
Dos Santos: Credibility, I think this is not only the credit itself, but the credibility with our customers, our suppliers, our partners to honor everything we say. Along with credibility comes the seriousness of the company that in January 2025 celebrates 40 years.