São Paulo – Tunisia’s olive oil exporters see promising opportunities for their products in the Brazilian market. As exhibitors at APAS Show in São Paulo, they described Brazil as a consuming market with a strong potential for growth.
Nouha Louedi, Business Development director of Tunisia’s Rivière D’Or, which specializes in manufacturing and exporting olive oil from Tunisia, said the company has exported to Brazil but only in small amounts. The firm participated in APAS back in 2019 and seeks to boost sales to the Latin American market by joining the current edition.
Rivière D’Or was established in 1928 and is one of Tunisia’s oldest olive oil firms. It has two plants in Tunisia. Its production capacity reaches 30,000 tonnes per year, while exports account for 95%.
Louedi said the firm exports to over 50 countries, particularly the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, followed by the United States, European markets, and Japan. Rivière D’Or has a quality testing laboratory accredited by the International Olive Council based in Spain.
The general manager of Tunisian olive oil manufacturer and exporter Al Jazira, Mokhtar Ben Achour, shared his vision of Brazil as a large, promising market. But he believes it takes more effort to present the Tunisian olive oil and its quality to Brazilian consumers, as there isn’t much awareness on the product.
Achour recounted their products are exported to over 20 markets in the Gulf region, Africa, and Canada, as well as the US, although the main focus is now on Brazil.
According to the executive, the Brazilian market posts the highest growth rates and an increasing demand for olive oil, and APAS is one of the largest and most renowned trade shows in Latin American. The firm had successfully participated in the show in 2019 and got some clients, but the coronavirus pandemic caused an interruption in business.
Achour said Al Jazira’s production capacity is around 10,000 tonnes a year, of which 90% are exported, while the rest is sold domestically.
Dorra Goddi, Marketing & Sales manager of Asdrubal, a firm that specializes in the production and export of olive oil and owner of the brand Baya Olive Oil, sees great opportunities to break into the Brazilian market, given the presence of similar products of lower quality in the Latin American country.
Four varieties of olive oil are manufactured, namely organic extra virgin, extra virgin, virgin, and olive pomace oil. The company owns four production lines and manufactures some 3,000 units per hour, which makes it able to serve the global market. Goddi said the company has all quality certificates accrediting it to export to all markets.
Translated by Georgette Merkhan & Guilherme Miranda
