(Photo: Joalpe/Wikimedia) Anyone who visits Belo Horizonte without entering the Central Market cannot say that they have already visited the city. Founded in 1929, the market is a gastronomic and cultural center that offers, in more than 400 stalls, artisanal cheeses, sweets and other delicacies from Minas Gerais.From one slice of cheese bread to another, a dessert of pork shoulder or jiló, the traditional Limonada or a dose of the best cachaças in Minas Gerais, each visitor has the opportunity to learn how the Market is still very much alive and important for the people of Belo Horizonte.
This is the reality of BH's life and his habits take on a different life. On the eve of turning 95 years old, one of the country's biggest postcards will have a new sponsor. In an unprecedented partnership with the KTO bookmaker, it will have a much larger calendar of events, including signage updates, social media content and even naming rights activities.
The agreement is the first of its kind in the world. The objective is to further publicize the history of the market and its importance for Minas Gerais culture and tradition.
“The Central Market is a kind of institution where the past and the present coexist,” said Ricardo Campos Vasconcelos, president of the Central Market. “We are celebrating this day with the launch of the centenary in 2029,” he said.
Bet on Minas Gerais The arrival of KTO in the Central Market reinforces the investments that the company already makes in the state. With a lot of money in Minas Gerais, the platform is a strong supporter of local media and recently became a sponsor of the Minas Tênis Clube basketball and volleyball teams.
The partnership with Mercado Central facilitates KTO's access to certain market segments. Among them, exclusivity in the segment and priority in organizing events in the country.
“KTO is excited to be able to contribute to the conservation and restoration of one of Belo Horizonte’s greatest heritage sites. This measure only reaffirms our commitment to Minas Gerais and the people of Minas Gerais”, said Cássio Filter, president of the company in Brazil.
Strengthening the Hypercenter The agreement on rights to use the name of the Central Market is another example of recent investments in the Belo Horizonte hypercenter. The region is going through a new process of revitalization and recovery of previously almost abandoned landscapes.
The movement has been going on since 2018, when Mercado Novo started to add new, state-of-the-art apartments on the upper floors, which had already been vacant for a long time. After the pandemic, the same happened at Praça Raul Soares, close to the two markets. The bars in the region attract young people from Belo Horizonte, always looking for something new.
The proposal is also similar to that of Minascentro, which includes a building on Avenida Augusto de Lima with Mercado Central. In June, the Belo Horizonte headquarters signed a nominal agreement with a mining company that operates in the tourism and hotel segment, known as BeFly Minascentro.