Fatores estratégicos explorados pelas empresas processadoras de lácteos para inserir-se no mercado de bebidas à base de soja

The present paper aims to characterize and understand the interrelationship among market and competitive factors that are considered by Brazilian managers for the insertion of dairy processing companies in the soy-based beverage market. The method used was the multi-case study, applied through the following research techniques: i) collection of secondary data; ii) interviews with the decision makers of two Brazilian companies that act in the dairy sector and that are being inserted in the soy-based beverage market; iii) interviews with experts in the dairy sector; iv) focus groups with consumers that represent the target segment in the soy-based beverage market. The results reveal that the studied companies read the soy-based beverage market as an opportunity for their growth in the market due to changes in consumption habits. These organizations explore the possibility of expanding and diversifying their product lines using favorable competitive factors such as organizational slack and sharing structures of production and marketing. However, there is an awareness of restrictions related to the access to financial resources and development of capacities required to undertake the consolidation of the brand and make differentiated products on the market.