Cimed's goal is ambitious: to double in size in the next five years. Under the command of João Adibe, the company’s CEO, the Minas Gerais group wants to transform the current R$5 billion annual profits to R$10 billion by 2030 – a strategy that combines heavy investment in infrastructure, portfolio amplification, and governance improvements.

“Our great challenge is to make the company twice as big in the next five years, because we have a demand that is larger than our productive capacity”, affirms Adibe in an interview to EXAME’s podcast “De frente com o CEO”.

To support growth, the company started an expansion process which predicts an investment of R$ 90 million in a new logistical center in Pouso Alegre (MG), where the company’s factory, which sould start working by early 2026, is also located. The first stage of the project, already being executed, is focused on the increase of storage capacity and operational efficiency.

“We have collapsed our logistical part. This stage is to amplify our capacity and prepare for an operation twice the size”, affirms the CEO. “By the end of theyear, we should announce another acquisition, in this case, a new factory in Brazil.”

The secret behind the expansion

With over 45 years of history, Cimed is today one of the biggest pharmaceutical companies in the country. It owns leading brands such as Lavitan, the number one in the Brazilian vitamin market with a 35% market share, and Carmed,  a lipstick balm which has surpassed 2 billion units sold. The company is also betting on new fronts, such as baby care, oral care, hair care and solar care, besides a new aesthetics line. But for Adibe, what sets the company apart is its reach into every Brazilian state.

“Brazil has many regions. I think the main differential that Cimed has is that it has built its own vertical chain since 1990. We have a base in every Brazilian state”, affirms Adibe.

According to the CEO, this is the great secret of Cimed: To think like a national company, but to act with regional agility.

High inflation, interest, and new challenges

Despite the optimism, Adibe acknowledges that the business environment in Brazil remains challenging. Constant inflation and high interest rates make long-term planning difficult and pressure operational costs.

“With interest at 15% a year, the entrepreneur must calculate very well before investing”, affirms.

Still, the CEO believes it is precisely in moments of deceleration that the best opportunities arise.

“I am a Brazilian entrepreneur. Even when the country is limping, we can find opportunities”, says the executive, who currently has no export plans. “Brazil is huge, and there are plenty of opportunities. Meanwhile, there is no export expectation.”

Road to the IPO and a new governance

The recent entrance of an international fund in the company reinforces investors’ trust and marks a new chapter in Cimed’s history, according to Adibe.

“Having the Sovereign Fund on our side is an important endorsement. It shows that Cimed is ready for a new era of growth, with professionalism and a long-term vision.”

With reinforcements in finance and governance, the company prepares to increase its national presence further, maintaining a focus on efficiency and innovation. The movement also paves the way for a future IPO.

“To get the IPO papers, the market must be better. The company is already prepared, but the moment must be right”, says the president.

Challenges of family succession

Besides the expansion plans, Adibe manages one of the most delicate topics in family business: succession. The executive, who started at Cimed at age 15, says he is preparing his children for the company’s future.

“I was made in the company by my father. Now, the ones to double Cimed will be by children”, affirms.

Today, eight family members work in the company, including João and his sister Carla. “There is no formula to work as a family. We learn every day, but we are complementary in management and have clarity of purpose”, says the CEO.

Learning with the young ones

Experience, affirms Adibe, should never be an obstacle to learning. “I look at past generations for inspiration, but I also learn with the younger ones”, affirms Adibe, citing Abilio Diniz as one of his inspirations. This mentality, according to him, is what grants the business its longevity and the constant renewal of leadership.

“The country’s transformation doesn’t come from my generation anymore, but instead from the young people who are beginning now.”

In what he wants to accomplish, family remains his biggest inspiration, in or outside the company. “In my personal life, I could have the fulfillment of having my children by my side. And, as an entrepreneur, I could train a lot of João Adibes here at Cimed.”