The Brazilian energy drink market has undergone a reconfiguration in recent years. National brands, once seen as niche or regional, have started to occupy space in a sector historically dominated by multinational companies.

At the center of this transformation is Baly, a company founded in the city of Tubarão, in the state of Santa Catarina, which has been expanding its presence both in Brazil and abroad with a portfolio aimed at local consumers.

Now, the brand is taking another step to sustain this growth. Baly announced the purchase of the facilities of Itagres Revestimentos Cerâmicos, in Tubarão, Santa Catarina, at a judicial auction held on Tuesday, September 2.

The operation involved an investment of R$ 30.9 million (US$ 5,6 million), with R$ 29.6 million for the property and R$ 1.3 million for machinery.

The new space will be used as the company's logistics support center, with an estimated creation of 200 direct jobs.

According to the company, this move is part of the long-term plan to structure its logistics operations and accelerate the national and international distribution of its products.

“The acquisition of this space is a milestone for Baly. It is a move that ensures solid infrastructure to support our growth and distribution opportunities in Brazil, in addition to strengthening our international presence,” said Mário Júnior Cardoso, operations director of the company, known as Marinho.

“We already export to Uruguay, Paraguay, Chile, Mexico, and the United States, and we see new opportunities both in Latin America and North America. This investment gives us even more security to move forward, while also solving an economic and social problem, contributing to the local development by generating more jobs,” said the executive.

The new plant has a strategic location, facing the road BR-101, the main logistics corridor in the state.

The space is expected to operate as a support center for the two Baly manufacturing units — one in Tubarão and another in Treze de Maio, with 30,000 and 20,000 square meters, respectively — which concentrate all of the company's 29 energy drink flavors.

The History of Baly

Although energy drinks are the flagship today, Baly's journey began with a different proposition.

When Mário Cardoso and his nephew founded the company in 1997, the focus was on cachaças and wines — a business that continued for more than a decade.

The pivot came in 2009, during Carnival, when Baly saw an opportunity to launch energy drinks in PET bottles, an innovation in a market still dominated by cans. "The arrival of PET bottles on the shelves democratized the drink among new consumers, especially within groups of friends and families," said Dayane Titon Cardoso, commercial and marketing director of Baly.

The strategy worked and propelled the energy drink to become the company’s top product, while alcoholic beverages were gradually phased out. Only in 2017 did Baly return to this segment, launching a line of beers.

How Baly Grew and Changed the Market

Baly’s growth accelerated starting in 2017, when Dayane and Mário Cardoso took over the management with a full focus on market insights and meeting the evolving demands of Brazilian consumers.

One of the main gaps identified was the offer of flavored products, a segment still underexplored by multinational energy drink companies.

"Since we have domestic production, we can offer more competitive prices and help democratize the flavor market, which was lacking," said Dayane. "During the pandemic, this became very clear. We launched several different flavors, and all were embraced by the public."

Today, Baly offers a diverse portfolio with 28 flavors — from classics like Green Apple and Tropical to mixes like Pineapple with Mint and Coconut with Acai.

Among the top-selling flavors are Tropical, Green Apple, Watermelon, and the mix of Strawberry with Peach.

One of the key differentiators of its growth has been the proximity to points of sale. “We value a lot where the product is,” said Dayane. “We are spending a lot of shoe leather to understand as much as possible about the customer’s needs, and the point of sale gives a lot of information, from needs to gaps.”

An example of this active listening was recognizing the absence of a Green Apple energy drink, which is commonly used by bartenders in cocktails. Baly quickly acted and turned this demand into a product, which rapidly became one of the bestsellers.

In the zero-sugar segment, Baly reports contributing 35% of the market share in volume over the last 12 months in the modern channel, according to a NielsenIQ survey commissioned by the company. This percentage rose to 39% in the first quarter of 2025, reinforcing the brand's leadership in this expanding category.

"Today, we have several flavors that are Brazilian, chosen by the Brazilian consumer. This attribute is something I strongly believe helped us get here," said Dayane.

The Growth of a National Brand in the Energy Drink Sector

With national production and distribution, Baly has made consistent moves to gain scale in one of the most competitive sectors in the beverage industry.

According to internal company data, annual production reached 205 million liters of energy drink in 2024. In the first four months of 2025 alone, Baly reports having already produced 90 million liters — maintaining an average growth rate of around 50% per year.

In terms of market share, the Santa Catarina-based brand reports that it reached 25% of volume share in the first quarter of 2025 — an increase of 4.2 percentage points over the last 12 months, according to a survey commissioned by the company to NielsenIQ. When comparing the first quarter of 2025 with the fourth quarter of 2024, Baly reports a 27% increase in volume share.

The company also claims to have been responsible for about 49% of the total growth of the energy drink category in Brazil in the first quarter of this year, contributing 4.4 percentage points within a total increase of 7.7 percentage points during that period. NielsenIQ, responsible for the measurement, stated that it does not publicly release market share data due to contractual confidentiality.

Despite the limitation of access to raw data, the brand's positioning is clear: it has consolidated itself as one of the top three in the country and is now competing for second place in the sector. "Today, we have a 100% national portfolio, with flavors designed for the Brazilian consumer. This brought us closer to the market and allowed us to grow quickly," said Dayane.

The text was translated with artificial intelligence. If you have any questions or corrections, please write to rafael.balago (at) exame.com.