The Coopershoes, a cooperative of 134 shoes and shoe component producers, has opened a new factory in the city of Picada Café, in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul. The cooperative produces footwear for Converse and All Star brands. 

A total of R$11 million (approximately $5 million) has been invested in the new plant, which covers an area of 12,000m².

Coopershoes already has a factory in the city and produces 23,000 pairs of shoes per day. The production will be increased to 30,000 pairs per day by November next year. Around 90% of the shoes will be sold in the domestic market, and 10% will be exported to Mercosur countries—the economic bloc that includes Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.