Atakarejo went from a fruit stall in Salvador to a R$ 6.3 billion empire: the Bahia-based chain dominates supermarkets in the state, surpasses competitors by a wide margin, and now aims for accelerated expansion with the support of Pátria in the Northeast retail sector.

Atakarejo, founded by Teobaldo Costa, leads the food retail in Bahia with a revenue of R$ 6.32 billion, attracted Pátria Investimentos, and plans to grow in the Northeast. The chain started from a fruit stall in Salvador and today surpasses state competitors by a wide margin.

Atakarejo became the biggest name in food retail in Bahia after a journey that began in 1979, when Teobaldo Costa set up a fruit and vegetable stall in Salvador. In 2025, the chain reached a revenue of R$ 6.32 billion, according to the ABRAS Ranking 2026.

According to information published by Exame, the company, which launched its first unit under the Atakarejo brand in 1994, gained new momentum after the entry of Pátria Investimentos in 2023. The strategy now aims at expansion in Bahia and the Northeast, maintaining the wholesale format as the basis for growth.

From fruit stall to giant of Bahian retail

The story of Atakarejo began far from the major distribution centers and billion-dollar operations. The first step was a fruit and vegetable stall in Salvador, created by Teobaldo Costa in the late 1970s.

Over the years, the business turned into a bakery, then a supermarket, and later a wholesale. The turning point came when the operation adopted the wholesale format, mixing volume sales, competitive pricing, and consumer service.

First Atakarejo brand emerged in 1994

The first unit under the Atakarejo brand appeared in 1994. From there, the company began to grow with a model that did not yet have a consolidated representative in Bahia, occupying space in a market with strong regional presence.

The format helped the chain differentiate itself from conventional supermarkets. Instead of operating only as a neighborhood store or traditional operation, Atakarejo bet on scale, variety, and pricing policy to attract consumers and small buyers.

Revenue of R$ 6.32 billion placed the chain on another level

The result of 2025 shows the size the company has reached. According to the ABRAS Ranking 2026, Atakarejo earned R$ 6.32 billion and ranked 21st among the largest supermarkets in Brazil.

The revenue of R$ 6.32 billion also reinforces Atakarejo’s distance from other competitors in Bahia. In the food retail sector, this volume places the chain in a position difficult to reach in the short term.

In Bahia, the distance to competitors is significant. The second place, Rmix, recorded R$ 1.24 billion, less than a fifth of the leader’s volume. This difference shows that Atakarejo has started to operate on its own scale within the Bahian food retail sector.

Chain accounts for more than half among the largest in Bahia

The ten largest supermarket chains in Bahia total more than R$ 12 billion in sales, according to the presented data. Atakarejo accounts for more than half of this total, reinforcing its position as a state leader.

This dominance does not mean the absence of competition in Bahia. The Bahian market remains fragmented, with regional chains competing for space in different cities, but Atakarejo has managed to transform a local operation into a chain with national weight in the food retail sector.

Atacarejo model brought low price and volume closer

The growth of the chain is directly linked to the atacarejo format. The proposal combines characteristics of wholesale and retail, offering competitive prices, purchase volume, and product variety for different customer profiles.

In the stores, the network gathers more than 10,000 products and services such as bakery, confectionery, butcher, savory snacks, and sliced products. It also maintains its own brand Ekobom and partnerships with family farming, expanding its supply base.

Pátria Investimentos entered the business in 2023

In October 2023, Atakarejo announced a partnership with Pátria Investimentos, a manager with global operations and a strong presence in alternative assets in Latin America. The entry of Pátria Investimentos marked a new stage in the network’s growth strategy.

Teobaldo Costa remained as a partner and continued to lead the operation. The presence of Pátria Investimentos added capital and expansion capacity to a company that already had a consolidated leadership in Bahia’s food retail sector.

Expansion targets Bahia and the Northeast

With the new partner, the network started to aim for faster growth in Bahia and other states in the Northeast. The plan announced at the time aimed to expand the operation and generate about 20,000 new direct jobs in the following years.

With this move, Atakarejo tries to transform its leadership in Bahia into a larger platform in the Northeast. The plan depends on new stores, operational efficiency, and strengthening the wholesale model in regional markets.

When the partnership was announced, Atakarejo already accounted for more than 7,000 direct jobs. Therefore, the expansion involves not only new stores but also impacts on employment, supply, and competition in the regional retail market.

Bahia’s market still has room for growth

Bahia’s food retail market has an important characteristic: it is less concentrated than markets like São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. This creates an environment with many regional networks, strong local presence, and different opportunities for advancement.

For Atakarejo, this scenario can favor organic growth, especially in medium-sized cities and regions outside the capital. The increase in consumption in the interior of Bahia also helps explain why the network still sees room to open new fronts.

Competitors remain distant from the leader

After Atakarejo, names like Rmix and Hiperideal appear, with revenues of R$ 1.24 billion and R$ 1.11 billion, respectively. Other networks, such as Comercial de Alimentos Gilmar, Novo Mix, and R.F. Atacado de Alimentos, are also among the largest in the state.

The difference between the leader and the others shows that competition exists, but it occurs at different levels. Atakarejo has built a scale advantage that makes it difficult for rivals to catch up quickly.

From family business to regional platform

The company’s trajectory shows how a family business can transform into a regional retail platform. The path involved changing formats, opening stores, strengthening the brand, and adapting to the purchasing behavior of the Bahian consumer.

The case also reveals the strength of regional networks in Brazil. Even outside the traditional axis of the largest economic centers, Atakarejo achieved billion-dollar revenue and began to compete for space among the leading names in national food retail.

Do you think Atakarejo can still grow significantly outside Bahia, or is the network’s strength precisely in the regional dominance it has built over decades? Leave your opinion in the comments.

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