Casablanca
Casablanca is a Colombian meat processing company in Medellín that manufactures cold cuts, sausages, hams, and bacon under its own Casablanca and CARNELLY brands and via private-label manufacturing for major retailers including Éxito, D1, Ara, Alkosto, and Makro.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1987
- HeadquartersMedellín, Colombia
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Casablanca does
Carnes Casablanca S.A.S. is a Colombian meat processing company headquartered in Medellín that manufactures and distributes cold cuts, cured meats, sausages, hams, and bacon. The company operates two production plants — Caribe and Sabaneta — with combined monthly throughput of 2,400 tonnes (expandable to 4,000 tonnes with planned thermal process investments), equipped with five slicing/cutting lines, nine tunnel ovens with quick cooling, and thirteen packaging lines. Casablanca's portfolio spans eight product categories (tocino, tocineta, salchichón, salchichas, madurados, jamón, chorizos, and cábano) under the Casablanca and CARNELLY brands, with formulations emphasizing artisan recipes from European charcuterie traditions, high meat content, 98% fat-free options, and reduced-sodium variants. The company holds HACCP certification (since 2010) and FSSC 22000 V6 certification (GFSI-recognized) and has been implementing Industry 4.0 production controls via Brazilian enterprise software provider Totvs since 2020.
Casablanca's business model is a dual-revenue B2B and consumer-channel operation. The primary engine is private-label manufacturing (maquila) for major Colombian retailers including Éxito (since 1998), D1, Ara, Alkosto, Makro, and Justo&Bueno, which supplies high-volume, certified-quality cold cuts under retailer-owned brands. The secondary engine is direct distribution of own-brand Casablanca and CARNELLY products through Colombian supermarket chains (Éxito, Jumbo, La Vaquita, Mercado Madrid, PriceSmart, Dinastía) and formerly through company-operated Carnelly retail points. An export channel has shipped to Indiana, USA since 2008. Customers are large enterprise retail chains; no public pricing or per-unit revenue figures are disclosed, and the company maintains no mobile app, no public API, and a minimal digital marketing footprint limited to Facebook, Instagram, and recipe content on its website.
The company was originally established as La Costeña in 1982 in Manrique Oriental, Medellín, and rebranded to Casablanca in 1987. CARNELLY was launched in 1992 as the cold cuts industrialization brand, and the company entered private-label manufacturing at scale in 1998 with Éxito. Casablanca is privately held, with 501–1,000 employees, no disclosed parent company, no venture or private equity funding rounds, and no reported M&A activity. A 2022 strategic commercial alliance with Italcol (a Colombian animal feed and protein company) was formed to generate commercial synergies at the national level. Casablanca positions itself as the second-largest producer of cold cuts in Colombia under its 2025 corporate vision.
Casablanca firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Casablanca
- Legal name
- CARNES CASABLANCA S.A.S.
- Website
- https://carnescasablanca.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1987
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Casablanca is a Colombian meat processing company in Medellín that manufactures cold cuts, sausages, hams, and bacon under its own Casablanca and CARNELLY brands and via private-label manufacturing for major retailers including Éxito, D1, Ara, Alkosto, and Makro.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Casablanca industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Processed Meat Products / Cold Cuts Manufacturing
- NAICS
- Meat and Meat Product Merchant Wholesalers (42447)
- SIC
- Sausages & Other Prepared Meat Products (2013)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Sausage Manufacturing (Fresh, Cooked, Fermented, Emulsified) (AFANAEAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Hot Dogs, Frankfurters & Bologna (Emulsified/Comminuted Meats) (AFANAEAG), Pork Wholesale (Primal/Subprimal, Boxed Pork) (AFAIADAB)
Keywords
Where Casablanca is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Medellín
- HQ country
- Colombia
- HQ region
- Latin America
Offices4 records
Markets served
Casablanca business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Private Label Manufacturing (Maquila): Manufactures products under retailer brands for major Colombian retail chains including D1, Ara, Alkosto, Éxito, Makro, and others. High-volume B2B manufacturing contracts for private label production.
- Own Brand Product Sales: Direct sales of Casablanca and Carnelly branded cold cuts, bacon, sausages, ham, and cured meats through retail stores and supermarket chains.
- Retail Store Operations: Operated restaurant/retail points of sale in Laureles and Ventura neighborhoods (opened 2002) for direct consumer engagement.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Casablanca product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Casablanca (Carnes Casablanca S.A.S.) is a Colombian meat processing company that manufactures and sells processed pork products including cold cuts, sausages, ham, bacon, salami and chorizo. The company operates two production plants in Medellín with combined capacity of 2,400 tonnes per month, sells products under its own Casablanca and Carnelly brands through major retail chains, and provides private label manufacturing (maquila) services for retailers including D1, Ara, Alkosto, Éxito and Makro.
Product overview
Carnes Casablanca is a Colombian meat processing company offering a diverse portfolio of cold cuts and pork products. The portfolio consists of: (1) own brands Casablanca and CARNELLY (cold cuts brand launched 1992), and (2) private-label manufacturing (maquila) services for major Colombian retailers including D1, Ara, Alkosto, Éxito, and Makro. The product line spans eight categories: Tocino (smoked bacon), Tocineta (smoked bacon slices in multiple formats including burger-sized), Salchichón Cervecero (beer-style sausage), Salchichas (seven varieties including German, Swiss, and premium sausage types), Madurados (cured products including Salami Milano, Hard Salami, Pepperoni, and assorted tables), Jamón (turkey and premium pork ham, both 98% fat-free), Chorizos (grill and criollo styles), and Cábano (beef and pork smoked sausage). The company operates two production plants in Medellín (Caribe and Sabaneta) with monthly capacity of 2,400 tonnes, expanding to 4,000 tonnes with thermal process investments.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CARNELLY: Cold cuts brand established in 1992, extended to major retail chains and private label manufacturing for various retailers
Products and services
- Tocino Ahumado (Smoked Bacon)
Quantifiable outcome
- Monthly production capacity of 2,400 tonnes, expandable to 4,000 tonnes with thermal investments
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Casablanca
Customer profileNamed customers11 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Casablanca technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature6 records
Casablanca partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.
- ItalcolcoreStrategic commercial alliance at national level with Italcol, generating business synergy with Carnes Casablanca S.A.S. for expanded commercial reach in Colombian market.
- TotvscoreBrazilian enterprise software company partnered for Industry 4.0 implementation and digital transformation of production processes. Enables controlled and systematized production.
- Éxito (Cencosud)coreMajor retail partner for private label (maquila) manufacturing since 1998. Products manufactured under Éxito brand through this partnership.
- AlkostomajorPrivate label manufacturing partner for Alkosto retail chain products.
- MakromajorPrivate label manufacturing partner for Makro wholesale distribution chain.
- D1majorPrivate label manufacturing partner for D1 hard discount retail chain.
- AramajorPrivate label manufacturing partner for Ara discount retail chain.
- Justo&BuenomajorCasablanca brand products sold through Justo&Bueno hard discount stores since 2017. Also private label manufacturing for Justo&Bueno brand since 2015.
- ViandeminorPrivate label brand added in 2011 with the opening of hard discount stores in Colombia.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves4 records
Casablanca competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Zenú: Zenú is one of Colombia's largest processed meat and cold cut producers (chorizos, salchichas, hams), selling through national retail channels including Éxito and D1. Directly competes with Casablanca in the Colombian cold cuts category across similar product families.
Regional players
- Colombina: Colombian packaged-foods company with a broad portfolio including processed meats and refrigerated products distributed nationally. Adjacent peer sharing Colombian retail channels and a multi-decade local brand-building playbook.
- Alpina: Major Colombian packaged-food company with a broad portfolio of dairy, cold cuts, and processed foods sold through the same national retail chains Casablanca serves (Éxito, Jumbo, D1). Overlaps in some processed-meat categories and shares Colombian distribution infrastructure.
- Frigorífico Guadalupe: Colombian pork processor based in the Valle del Cauca region, focused on fresh and processed pork for retail and foodservice. Direct comp in Colombian pork-derived cold cuts and a fellow supplier to national supermarket chains.
Broad incumbents
- Tyson Foods: Global protein and prepared-foods company producing branded and private-label deli meats, sausages, and bacons at industrial scale. Comparable in product mix, certification depth, and private-label manufacturing relationships with major retailers.
- Grupo Nutresa (Noel): Colombia's largest packaged-food conglomerate, whose Noel brand historically leads cold cuts in Colombia. Competes with Casablanca across chilled and cured meats, leveraging a national distribution network and broader food portfolio.
- Pilgrim's Pride: U.S./global poultry and prepared-foods processor with significant further-processed deli meat business. Comparable as a large-scale, automation-driven cold cuts manufacturer operating certified food-safety plants at high volume.
- BRF S.A. Brazil-based global processed foods giant producing sausages, hams, and cold cuts for Latin America and beyond. Relevant as a regional incumbent whose premium and value sausage lines compete in Colombian retail and adjacent export markets.
- Sigma Alimentos: Mexican/Latin American processed meats and refrigerated foods company (a Sigma Alimentos / Alfa subsidiary) producing ham, sausage, bacon, and deli items across multiple countries. Comparable as a multi-country cold cuts manufacturer with scale and retail-channel depth.
- Marfrig Global Foods: One of the world's largest beef and pork processors, with Latin American operations and a growing presence in branded and value-added protein products. Relevant as a large, vertically integrated regional peer with refrigerated/further-processed capabilities.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Casablanca social profiles
Digital presenceCasablanca compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance3 records
Casablanca financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Casablanca leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Casablanca funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Casablanca M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Casablanca
What does Casablanca do?
Casablanca (Carnes Casablanca S.A.S.) is a Colombian meat processing company that manufactures and sells processed pork products including cold cuts, sausages, ham, bacon, salami and chorizo. The company operates two production plants in Medellín with combined capacity of 2,400 tonnes per month, sells products under its own Casablanca and Carnelly brands through major retail chains, and provides private label manufacturing (maquila) services for retailers including D1, Ara, Alkosto, Éxito and Makro.
Is Casablanca a public or private company?
Casablanca is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Casablanca founded?
Casablanca was founded in 1987. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Casablanca based?
Casablanca is headquartered in Medellín, Colombia, in the Latin America region.
How does Casablanca make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Private Label Manufacturing (Maquila) is the primary driver. The others are own Brand Product Sales and retail Store Operations.
Who are Casablanca's main competitors?
Zenú is listed as a direct peer. Regional players are Colombina, Alpina and Frigorífico Guadalupe. Broad incumbents are Tyson Foods, Grupo Nutresa (Noel), Pilgrim's Pride, BRF S.A., Sigma Alimentos and Marfrig Global Foods.
Does Casablanca have an API?
No public API is recorded for Casablanca.
What industry is Casablanca in?
Casablanca's product category is Processed Meat Products / Cold Cuts Manufacturing. Its primary akta.pro industry code is AFANAEAC, Sausage Manufacturing (Fresh, Cooked, Fermented, Emulsified), with a secondary code of AFANAEAG, Hot Dogs, Frankfurters & Bologna (Emulsified/Comminuted Meats). Its NAICS code is 42447 and its SIC code is 2013.