São Paulo – The Brazilian exporter Brasphil headquartered in São Leopoldo, in Rio Grande do Sul, is exporting açaí products to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, and wants to grow in the Arab market. The company, which owns part of an açaí processing plant in the district of Itaquera, in São Paulo, sends around one container every two months to the emirate, according to the commercial director, João Batista Ribeiro.
Ribeiro is confident of selling more to the Arab world. “Over there is summer all year long and açaí is similar to an ice cream, so they offer a great market, we can sell all year,” said the director. They still need, according to Ribeiro, to make the product better known in the region, as the açaí berry is not popular among the Arabs.
Brasphil is promoting the product via an importer which distributes their products in Dubai and by participating in the Gulfood, a food industry fair. The company participated in the fair earlier this year and wants to exhibit there again in 2015, this time in a larger space. Currently, Brasphil’s products go mainly to restaurants, coffee shops and juice bars.
Ribeiro also believes in the potential of the US market, where they are sending samples of the product. Samples are also being sent to Singapore and Canada and deals were closed with Spain and the Philippines. Exports range around ten containers per year and the businessman believes it can reach two containers per month.
Brasphil started operating in 2008 as an exporter, focused mainly in canned meat. In 2011, however it shifted its business to açaí. First the company only sold the products made by a processing plant in São Paulo, and then it acquired a share in the plant early last year. Brasphil is part of an investing group.
The açaí berries are commercialized by the company as pulp, pure, to be used in juices, and also as açaí cream. In the latter, açaí is mixed with guaraná and sold in packages ranging from 100 grams to 10 liters. The cream is also available in strawberry and banana flavors. The product brand’s name is Amaçaí.
Contact
Brasphil
Website: http://www.amacai.net/%5Cenglish
Phone: (+5551) 9943-0412
*Translated by Rodrigo Mendonça
