Cacau Show invests in hotels to expand brand; new business has two units

Specializing in chocolates, Cacau Show also has activities in a different field to what is expected from the brand. Since 2020, the company began a process of buying bankrupt hotels put up for auction and transforming them, making them reborn as a successful business. The hotel chain was named “Bendito Cacao”. Despite seeming unusual at first, Cacau Show manages to combine its values ​​with an experience that puts the cocoa as a highlight.

The business has two units. The first in Campos do Jordãoopened in 2022, where the company has a factory. The other hotel is in Águas de Lindóia and began operating this year. To combine chocolate with the hosting service, Cacau Show invested in haute cuisine, a museum highlighting cocoa, themed rooms, trails and much more.

Profitable business

The total invested in the two hotels reaches R$198 million. Even so, there was no specific strategy for the new venture, with the company betting on the opportunity of an auction. Next year, the Bendito Cacao chain is expected to deliver R$100 million in revenue. The euphoria surrounding the business also points to new units in the coming years.

“I was already a customer of this hotel and used it on my visits to the Campos do Jordão factory. The former owner even offered me the business, but I only closed the purchase two years later, when it went up for auction.”, said Alê Costa (via Forbes), CEO of Cacau Show.

Costa also highlighted innovation as an attraction of the network. Guests have the opportunity to taste cocoa honey, visit a museum detailing the chocolate manufacturing process and have massages with cocoa butter. On premises, the hotels have chocolate fountains, underground pubs and zip lines.

_{Haute cuisine is one of the highlights of the Bendito Cacao chain (Photo: reproduction/Bendito Cacao Resort & Spa/Facebook)}

Impact and next steps

Cacau Show is already the largest contractor in the cities where the Bendito Cacao units are located. There are 550 jobs created thanks to the company; Among these, 15 architects who work on the maintenance and development of new features. The Campos do Jordão unit, in its first year alone, welcomed 43 thousand guests. So far, the Águas de Lindóia resort has received 18 thousand customers. Despite the distrust of some, the objective according to Costa is to touch people's lives in some way.

“Our purpose is to touch people's lives, providing special moments and memorable experiences. The mission is to transform the ordinary into extraordinary… I am passionate about the entire history of cocoa and I remain faithful to that. I didn't become a multi-entrepreneur with several businesses. In reality, we have become an ecosystem where cocoa is the central theme of all this”, said the CEO (via Forbes).

In February 2024, Cacau Show acquired the Playcenter amusement park chain, which has units in São Paulo and Bahia. The idea is not to place limits on the business, working to expand the brand as its purpose.

Featured Photo: “Bendito Cacao Resort & Spa” in Campos do Jordão, São Paulo (Reproduction/Bendito Cacao Resort & Spa/Facebook)