Alfajores: at the age of 20, he devised an award-winning and exporting brand

Mateo Miraglia was born in Junin, province of Buenos Aires and there he studies Business Administration. During the pandemic he wanted to fulfill a dream and set up a business with his family: an alfajore factory.

Mateo had the idea and the impulse. He put together a solid project and to carry it out he had the support of his family. The company started with an investment of US$100,000 and currently allocates between 14 and 25% of production for export. Also. They are opening a second plant to be able to deal with the purchase orders that arrive from Argentina and abroad. Its production is 15,000 alfajores per hour.

There are different product lines. On the one hand the alfajores, in its four varieties: dark chocolate, white, 70% cocoa and cornstarch. But they also have a line of bonbons, chocolates and dulce de leche.

The name “Arrabal” refers to a neighborhood that is far from the population. Tango emerged in the outskirts of the city. Some of his well-known phrases are: “I lost my job and had to move from the center to settle in the suburb”, “If we keep walking, we will end up in the suburb”. “This concept, which inspired many well-known tangos, led us to want to create the best Argentine alfajor”, says the young entrepreneur.

On the company’s website you can read that they go for everything, and they express that their idea is that it be enjoyed “like a Gardel tango, like a Diego gambeta, with the passion that characterizes us suburban people at heart”.

Mateo Miraglia is 20 years old.

How did they start? “In 2020, during the pandemic, together with my family we developed a brand of alfajores with the aim of achieving a premium quality product.. From the first moment, our premise was to achieve a high quality product, at the height of the most demanding consumers in the country. We knew that the challenge was not easy, that is why we chose the best raw materials, designed a packaging according to the quality that we wanted to communicate, and began to market it”, he adds.

The beginnings were not easy, but little by little they began to place the product throughout the country. “Today the most important kiosk chains in the City of Buenos Aires and throughout the country sell our products,” says the founding partner of Arrabal.

Then came an acknowledgment. During the Alfajor World Cupheld in the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, they obtained the gold and silver medal in the category Best Alfajor Confectionery with its 70% cocoa products and classic alfajor.

It was the boost they needed for a large number of people to come to the store to try their products. “This fills us with pride and makes us think that we are on the right path,” he emphasizes.

In terms of distribution, “it is organized so that it reaches the entire country, but having winning the award gave us recognition as a brand. We receive a large number of inquiries on our website and on social networks. At the same time, we are in full development of a franchise system that will be up and running soon”, he explains.

Orders from abroad were not long in coming. “Recently we managed to obtain the FDA certification, which enables us to start selling in new markets. Our dream is very soon to be able to contribute our grain of sand so that this candy, which identifies us so much, continues to position itself in the world”, he points out.

The company currently exports to the United States. In September they are opening their own office in Brazil, and are currently negotiating with importers in Uruguay, Chile, Paraguay, Panama, Mexico, Colombia, Australia, Egypt, the European Union, China and Sweden.

Miraglia highlights and emphasizes that it is very important to grow and develop new markets with long-term business relationships. “Beyond the sociopolitical context of the country, our goal is to make the Arrabal alfajor known in the world,” he says.