São Paulo – The Arab world made its presence felt on the first day of the premier supermarket industry expo in South America, APAS Show, this Monday (7) in São Paulo. The Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce stand featured 25 companies from four Arab countries – Egypt, the UAE, Sudan and Lebanon. Tunisia was represented by its Embassy, offering items such as olive oil, couscous and dates.
The chargé d’affaires with the Embassy of Tunisia, Mohamed Amin Sayeb, is optimistic about the possibility to bring Tunisian products to Brazil. “Tunisia is currently the leading olive oil producing country in the world, with 280,000 tons made last year.” He said deglet nour dates are unlike those grown in the UAE, for instance, in that it’s sweeter and translucent. “São Paulo is a big market, and expectations are great regarding our sales here,” he said.
One of the Egyptians at the expo is Mohamed Wahab, the exports director with Greenland, one of the 13 Egyptian companies featured. It makes processed juice and feta cheese paste. “We already ship to 60 countries around the world. This is our first time here, and we hope to find distributors for our products,” said Wahab.
Heba Soheil, the exhibitions manager with Egypt’s Food Export Council, the government body that worked with the Arab Chamber to arrange for companies to participate, was surprised by the size of the trade show. “We have companies that deal in olive and olive oil; savory and sweet pretzels; herbs and spices; milk products; and food additives.” Some companies already sell in Brazil, especially olive and olive oil.
In cooperation with the Arab Chamber, the Egyptian companies have scheduled meetings, and on Thursday (10) they will join the Brazil-Egypt Business Meeting at the Arab Chamber headquarters. “We will speak with supermarkets and importing companies. I’m very optimistic. This is our first time at the APAS Show, and this is a very important market that we want to break into,” said Soheil. According to data from the Food Export Council, imports from Egypt to Brazil have been on the way up over the last few years. In processed foods alone, they went from USD 2.2 million in 2011 to USD 24.2 million in 2017.
Dubai Exports brought ten companies to the APAS Show this year – six of them deal in food, two in perfume, and two in packaging. Dubai Exports specialist Zilda Rosa claims the years-long partnership with the Arab Chamber is great for both organizations. “The Arab Chamber possesses the most knowledge about Arabs in Brazil. The stand is looking great, product acceptance is great, and I believe the show will be a success,” she said.
According to her, the initial plan was to only bring product samples, but she persuaded the executives to travel along with her (Rosa is based in Dubai). Christian Bilodeau, the regional sales director with Chocodate, which makes chocolate-and-date products, said the brand had been at the APAS Show last year with Dubai Exports delegates, and found itself unable to distribute its items in Brazil. “This year I came to strike deals. I’m optimistic,” he said.
The managing director with Dubai’s Hunter Foods, Ananya Narayan, is at the APAS Show for the first time. “We sell healthy, preservative- and additive-free snacks. Some are vacum-fried, but the ingredients are pristine, true vegetables, with just oil and salt added, so the food retains its nutrients,” he explained. There’s a range of snacks made from rice, pumpkin, beet, carrot and even okra. “We wish to bring our products to Brazil and to take Brazilian products to the Middle East, like açaí, Brazil nut, dried fruit. We’re here to learn. We ship product to some 30 countries and want Brazil to be our next destination,” said Narayan. Rosa said expectations surrounding the expo are great, and several meetings have been scheduled with major supermarkets like Zaffari, Pão de Açúcar and Empório Santa Luzia.
Throughout the week, the companies will be showcasing their goods and meeting prospective Brazilian distributors at the Arab Chamber stand. Arab Chamber president Rubens Hannun said what he saw during the day left a great impression on him. “Turnout at the stand is very strong, it’s packed all the time. I took a walk around the show and that’s not the same everywhere, so the outlook is good. I believe we’re on the right track to even further enabling trade between Brazil and the Arab countries that are represented here,” he said.
Check out ANBA’s story on the opening of the expo.
Quick facts
For more on the expo go to www.apasshow.com.br
Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce stand
Aisle G-11 – While Pavilion
Expo Center Norte
Rua José Bernardo Pinto, 333 – São Paulo
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
