São Paulo – Baking industry suppliers in Brazil are planning on showcasing, in the United Arab Emirates, how broad a range of services and products they have to offer. This Monday (11th), the Brazilian Association of the Food Equipment, Ingredient and Accessories Industry (Abiepan) has renewed an international promotion agreement with the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex), and plans include displaying a full-sized bakery at next year’s edition of Gulfood, a food industry fair held in Dubai early each year.
The promotion agreement targets eight different markets, one being Saudi Arabia. Via the Gulfood, baking industry suppliers plan on reaching the Saudis and other Middle Eastern countries as well. According to Abiepan project manager Monique Morata, the space at the fair is being negotiated. The intention is to have a Brazilian-style bakery which, rather than just an outlet for bread, is a “business station” combining pizza parlour, snack bar, restaurant and pastry shop services, among others.
“The Apex has ascertained that Saudi Arabia is buying a lot from Brazil. Our main competitors there are Europe, the US and China. However, the crisis is causing Europe to neglect aftersales work,” says Morata. That has made room for new suppliers and Brazil is getting in. The Gulfood will be the Abiepan’s first-ever model bakery in the Middle East. The facilities should cover 100-plus square metres, according to Morata.
Abiepan congregates companies that manufacture baking industry equipment such as ovens, accessories such as shelves and counters, and ingredients such as yeast and royal icing. The association comprises 53 companies, of which 31 are a part of the Apex project. Last year, the companies posted a combined US$ 8.5 million in export revenues. This year, according to Morata, the goal is to see a 10% increase in that amount. Equipment, says the manager, account for the bulk of foreign sales, and Latin America is the main target.
Apart from Saudi Arabia, the agreement with Apex targets Chile, Colombia, Peru, Mexico, Angola, United States, Mexico and Russia. Actions will include branding work, an industry overview, brand management, and a study on how the industry should present itself to each market. There will also be participation at other international fairs, analysis of industry date, and buyer and image projects, by which importers and journalists are brought to Brazil, the former for business matchmaking.
The agreement is called Brazilian Bakery, has been renewed until February 2015, and should see R$ 5.9 million (US$ 8.1 million) in investment. The Apex-Abiepan partnership for international promotion has been in existence since 2003.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
