São Paulo – Arab Beverages, a maker of juices and isotonic drinks in the United Arab Emirates, is negotiating the sale of products in Brazil. It is the only Arab company to exhibit at the International Food Tradeshow for Latin America (Sial Brazil), a business fair that ends on Thursday (28), in São Paulo.
“We received some visitors at the site and some of the talks evolved much. It is possible for us to do business with the Brazilians,” said to ANBA on Wednesday (27), the company’s export manager, Hywel Rodrigues. This is the first time the company participates in an event of the kind in Brazil, attracted, according to the executive, by the opportunities offered by the Brazilian market.
Among these opportunities, said Rodrigues, are growth of the economy and of the population’s buying power. The line of company beverages includes juice, organic juice and isotonic drinks. A line of sugar free juice is targeted at the infant public. Beverages are stored in plastic packages which, according to the manager, are among the main attractions for the company.
“Here [in Brazil] there are several package producers with several kinds of products, but none offers what we offer. The packages of our drinks are practical, and may be used by children at school, by athletes and at several occasions,” he said.
The raw material used in production of isotonic juice is bought in Brazil and South Africa, as well as from other African countries. The products are then processed and exported from Dubai. In the Arab world, the company sells to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. It also exports to New Zealand, Belgium, Denmark, France, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Seychelles, Martinique, Guadalupe, Haiti, Guyana and French Guyana.
Importers in focus
This is the first time that Brazil receives the Sial, promoted at Expo Center Norte alongside the International Fair of Technology and Packaging for the Food Industry (Fispal). According to Fabricio Baroni, director at BTS, the event organizer, the fair was brought to Brazil as the country and its neighbours in Latin America have lived consistent growth in recent years. Participant focus is on exports to the region. “With the growth of these economies, the population of these nations has increased its buying power, started purchasing more and choosing better products,” pointed out Baroni.
The 2013 edition of the event has already been scheduled for June 25 to 28. It will receive 600 exhibitors, 200 more than in this year’s edition, and will cover an area of 20,000 square meters at the same site, against this year’s 12,000.
“We believe that companies from more countries will participate in the event next year than this year’s representatives of 33 countries. They should come both in groups and individually, as is the case with this company from the Emirates,” said Baroni.
*Translated by Mark Ament
