Puras do Brasil Sociedade Anonima Summary Of Project Information (SPI)       Project Name:    Brazil - Puras      Region:Latin America and Caribbean   Sector:Hotels and Tourism   Project No:009321   Projected Board Date:April 1, 1999   Company Name:Puras do Brasil Sociedade Anônima   Technical Partner and/or Major Shareholders    	The company is wholly-owned by Mr. Hermes Gazzola and his family through a holding company, Puras Administradora de Negócios e Participações Ltda.      Project Cost Including proposed IFC investment    	Project cost is estimated at US$48 million.  IFC''s proposed investment would consist of a senior loan of US$13 million and a convertible loan in the amount of US$2 million.    Location of project and Description of site    	Most new cafeterias/restaurants will be opened at industrial firms in the Northeast and North of the country.  Puras'' goal is to seek contracts serving meals to large numbers of factory workers.     	Cafeterias are generally located in buildings near the factories.    Description of Company and Purpose of Project    	The company at present operates 310 restaurants in 110 cities throughout Brazil.  The project will allow it to continue to serve its existing clients who are investing in the North and Northeast of the country, and to participate in the growth of the regions.    	IFC''s financing will enable the company to achieve economies of scale and become more efficient, thus lowering cost to the client.  It will allow the company to bring good nutrition to workers in the less developed regions of the country, contributing to higher worker productivity and better health. It is expected that 6,000 jobs will be created over three years, and these workers trained in good food handling and hygiene practices.      Environmental Category and Issues    	This is a category B project according to IFC''s environmental and social review procedure.  Key environmental, social and occupational health and safety issues associated with the project include:  solid and liquid waste disposal, CFC-free cold storage equipment, hygiene and best management practices for handling of food, employee safety training and emergency response, and fire safety.  The sponsor has presented plans to address these issues and demonstrated that the proposed project will comply with applicable governmental and World Bank requirements.  Solid waste generated at the sites is of domestic origin and is disposed according to local regulations.   New cold storage equipment acquired either by the client or by Puras will be compliant with CFC-free requirements.  Puras'' quality control procedures are in compliance with all local and federal laws relating to food safety and prevention of food borne illnesses.  The restaurants are managed by nutritionists who are in charge of food safety and of collecting samples for microbiological testing.  Potable water is analyzed at each restaurant on a semi-annual basis under the World Health Organization guidelines for drinking water.  Puras'' training programs are directed by an occupational health and safety engineer.  Puras provides its employees with uniforms that includes hair nets, gloves, and coats.  During cleaning and preparation of food, every employee is required to wear this equipment.  Puras'' assessment of a potential cafeteria involves the site location, equipment layout and safety, and environmental conditions.  Recommendations for improvement are provided to the client.       Host country location of environmental documents:    1-Puras do Brasil, Av. Independencia 1299,Porto Alegre, RS. 2-Puras do Brasil, Rua Principal 209, Manaus, AM. 3-IFC, Rua Oswaldo Cruz no.1, Fortaleza, CE. 4-Biblioteca Pública de Manaus, Rua Barroso 57, Centro, Manaus, AM.      Date SPI sent to InfoShop:February 2, 1999   This Summary of Project Information is prepared and distributed to the public in advance of consideration of the proposed transaction by the Corporations Board of Directors.  It is provided for the purpose of enhancing the transparency of IFCs activities and should not be construed as presuming the outcome of IFC Board consideration.    For Additional Information contact:  Corporate Relations Unit -   telephone: (202) 473-7711   facsimile: (202) 974-4384  Environmental documents for this project are available at http://www.ifc.org and from the World Bank InfoShop (http://www.worldbank.org/html/pic/aboutinfo.html).