Zissou Colchões

Dedicated to providing a good night's sleep, Zissou has already billed more than R $1 million – in less than a year of operation – with innovative production and distribution strategies for selling mattresses Zissou Mattress in GolEm magazine a trip to the United States in 2015, the Paulistano administrator Ilan Vasserman, 32 years, came across a curious product, which was successful among young Americans: a compact box, which fit inside an elevator, and took Inside a mattress. The technology, which took the need for trucks, chargers and other logistical concerns, drew its attention and aroused its entrepreneurial vein. At the time, working early in the financial market, Ilan knew the value of a good night's sleep and decided to look for the American manufacturer Casper to market the product in Brazil, but the startup refused his idea. The company, however, gave the endorsement for it to create its own mattress in the model bed in a box, still unheard of here. For the venture, Ilan invited the also administrator and childhood friend Amit Eisler, 32, and engineer Andreas Burmeister, 40, at the time Amit's co-worker at Xiaomi, Chinese technology giant. "We worked in the Chinese time zone and saw how a bad night's sleep impacted on people's quality of life, so we decided to face this challenge," recalls Andreas. Thus was born, in June 2017, Zissou, a company that already billed more than R $1 million with the sale of mattresses in less than one year of operation. In search of more quality of life and autonomy, the trio left stable careers to explore this market in Brazil. Before the launch, they studied the relationship of the Brazilian with sleep for one year and found, among other things, that one of the needs of consumers was that the mattress did not heat up with the warmth of the body. To develop the ideal product, they relied on the consultancy of the product designer Felipe Bettoni, member of the fourth generation of the family responsible for administering the traditional Colchoaria Bettoni, which since 1937 creates custom mattresses. The result to meet this demand was to choose the hypoallergenic latex – material that helps dissipate heat and keep the mattress cool all night – as one of the three layers of the structure, formed also by polyurethane and viscoelastic. "Comfort is a personal value, but we wanted to develop a firmer mattress, another preference of Brazilians. We also had the concern to compress the product without interfering with quality when it was opened, "says Bettoni. With only two employees besides the partners, the production is all done in the United States, where a 60-tonne press compresses the mattresses so that, from single size (R $2,990) or King (R $5,690), they fit within a box of 1, 15 meter high by 40 centimetre of the width. To put up a business that involves new technologies and import, Zissou counted on an initial investment of R $3 million, two of them coming from investors and 1 million of the partners themselves. The number, which can surprise, makes sense for this market, since the mattress industry is always looking for new solutions. "A brand new in the market, with a product of high cost, manages to compete with competitors when creating something innovative," explains Marcelo Prado, director of IEMI Market Intelligence, institute that studies the purchasing behavior of Brazilians. In addition, a research from the same institution estimates that the segment grew 6.9% in Brazil between 2016 and 2017. It is not surprising, since more than half of the Brazilian population suffers from some disorder that affects the quality of sleep. The data is pointed out by Shigueo Yonekura, neurologist at the Institute of Sleep Medicine, in São Paulo. "All areas of medicine are paying attention to the subject, which influences even more serious illnesses. Over the past three years, people have sought more help because they are realizing that daily stress and sleep conditions directly affect their lives. Ambient temperature and pillow height, for example, are important and decisive factors in this process, "says Yonekura. Collaborates to the success of Zissou the solution created by the partners to end that awkward moment when buying a mattress that happens in most stores, with the sellers watching the scene. Those who want to try the product can go to the Zissou house in São Paulo, and test the piece in a private and cozy room, with lighting and soundtrack chosen by the visitor. "It's a comfortable thought and created for the customer to feel at home," explains Amit. "Consumers are increasingly demanding, so the brands have to create a new way to sell to capture this slice of the market," completes Marcelo Prado. Sales are made there or by the site, with delivery to all Brazil and return of the amount paid up to a hundred days after purchase, if the buyer does not adapt to the product. The destination of the old mattress is also a concern of the brand, which makes the bridge with the NGO Salvation Army for the withdrawal of the item. "Donating the old mattress is a way we find to facilitate the customer's life and cause positive impact on society. Everyone comes out happy with this action, "says Amit. The Zissou differentials also drew the attention of customers beyond the final consumer – the corporate segment already represents 20% of sales. The brand was chosen to equip the 60 apartments of the Fasano Angra dos Reis, inaugurated in December. "We tested a sample and we liked the technology. The mattresses certainly have pleased the guests, "says Gabrielle Espíndola, general manager of the hotel. Highlighting the business of hospitality was not a mere fluke: the specificities of the product were thought from the beginning to win this market. "The removable cover we created is one of them, because it favors the cleaning of the mattress. The size also had to suit the sheets, besides the weight being lower than usual to facilitate the work of the Chambermaids ", explains Felipe Bettoni. Besides Fasano, the brand also won the competition of the hotel line of Trussardi and the furniture stores Ornare and Breton. The rise of their mattresses on the market, however, is not enough for Zissou entrepreneurs to consider the company consolidated. Data from the Brazilian Association of Mattress Industry (ABICOL) show that the Brazilian only replaces the mattress every five years. Namely: the concern in increasing the supply of products is a strategy to keep the business high. While the customers sleep peacefully, the trio plans to create new products, such as a pillow with height, temperature and softness ideal to please all tastes, also developed by Bettoni. To continue innovating, they should receive more R $5 million from investors later this year – the estimate is that the total value, counting the initial R $3 million, returns in up to six years. "We want to consolidate ourselves as the brand that represents sleep for Brazilians," says Amit.