Mademóveis, established 29 years ago by Lebanese and Italian descendants in the city of Ubá, in the interior of the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais, started exporting to Qatar last year. The first sale to the Arab market took place after the furniture was exhibited in international fairs. In partnership with other companies, the small industry has a showroom in the United Arab Emirates.
Author: Geovana Pagel
Da Life, a small producer of cosmetics made from plant extracts, based in the city of Goiânia (in the midwestern Brazilian state of Goiás), wants to win the Arab market in 2005. The company line includes perfumes, soaps, shampoos, conditioners, body creams, gels and sun block creams. The formulas are developed and manipulated by the company itself, which produces around 30 tonnes of products per month.
Based in the city of Guaxupé, Minas Gerais, the cooperative exports to over 30 countries. Up to September this year, shipping had totalled 1.3 million bags of coffee. The target is to reach 1.5 million bags up to December, with revenues of almost US$ 313.5 million, around 30% more than in 2003, an estimated US$ 229.9 million.
One of the ten Afric participants has just shipped the first fitness collection samples made especially for the Arab Market. Since the beginning of last year, when the group started working together, they have already participated in three fairs in the region and have found a representative in Dubai.
Company Sipiolli, based in the city of Mirassol, started exporting to the Arabs after participation in furniture fair Index, in the United Arab Emirates. This year, the company is once again going to participate in the event, one of the most important in the sector, participating in a stand organized by the Brazilian Furniture Export Promotion Program (Promóvel). The target is to further increase sales to countries in the region.
Since last year, company Gramazon, based in the northern Brazilian state of Rondônia, has been investing in participation in international fairs and in a partnership with Lebanese company B2B international, to provide incentives for sales of ornamental stones to the Arab market. The factory has mines in the whole of the state and in the north of Mato Grosso, and invests in technology to minimize environmental impact.
Last year, producers connected to Veiling Holambra, a cooperative from a small city called Holambra in the southeastern Brazilian state of São Paulo, exported 3.5 million flowers. Now they want to reach the total of 14 million. The main markets are the United States, Holland, and Portugal. But the Middle East is already in the plans of the floriculturists.
The ceramic product industry, based in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, has been investing in expansion of exports to the Arabs for the last four years, having had revenues of US$ 900,000 with sales to the region. "We bet on the Arab market way before this current craze. Our strategy has always been to enter a market to stay," said company export manager Rodolfo Jacobsen to ANBA.
General Motors Brazil is already considering exporting their new model, capable of running on petrol, alcohol, any mixture of both, or natural gas, and sees the Arab countries as a great potential market. From 2002 to 2003 GM export to Egypt has risen six times, growing from 894 vehicles to 5,904 vehicles.
Businessmen from the United Arab Emirates, Libya, Yemen, and Egypt participated in the seventh edition of Sweet Brazil. The fair that ends today, in the capital of the southern state of Paraná, shows news in the sector that has a turnover of more than US$ 2 billion a year in the country. The Arab nations represent between 15% and 20% of export.
Business between Comil, a bus maker from the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul, and the Arabs has generated 200 new jobs. While producing the 273 buses recently purchased by Saudi company Taseco, the company awaits the result of tenders in Qatar, Kuwait, and Saudi Arabia. On Tuesday, Comil was visited by Taseco general manager Kareem Al-Saihati, who came to Brazil to visit the factory and evaluate the prototypes of buses adapted for the Middle East.
The Brazilian producer of natural products, based on native plants, on the market for 64 years, intends to increase foreign trade by 10% up to the end of this year, and to close deals with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan.
Tropical Spice, which exported US$ 1.5 million in 2003, is already present in over 20 countries. With its eye on the Arab market, the group is going to set up an exclusive stand at Beirut Fashion, the Lebanese garment fair, to take place between September 7 and 10.
Brazilian Intelligence in Software (Brains) is going to include the Arab countries in their program for international promotion of Brazilian software. The group, which is part of the Integrated Sector Project (PSI), responsible for finding business for the sector outside the country, believes that this is a good moment to sell Brazilian technology to the region.
