São Paulo – At the cash desk of a vegetarian restaurant opposite the Brazil Arab News Agency (ANBA) in São Paulo, the discovery of Divine’s chocolates occurred. The label of the 70% cocoa chocolate balls with rice flakes caught the eye with its translations into Arabic, something unusual in the capital of São Paulo. After the Divis packet was purchased, the chocolate was tasted and approved, and contact was made with the company based in Encantado, Rio Grande do Sul.
Divine Chocolates has been halal-certified since 2018, when it won the award for best chocolate at the Yummex sweets & snacks show in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. That was when the company also started adding information in Arabic to the packaging of almost all products. In 2021, Divine landed a sale to Qatar, and clients have also been showing interest in Saudi Arabia and the UAE.
The Best Chocolate Product at Yummex 2018 went to the Brazilian company’s For Fit, a healthy chocolate bar with whey protein, no added sugar, and gluten-free. That was the first year Divine Chocolates participated in Yummex.
“We obtained halal certification and included Arabic in the packaging after participating in the Yummex Dubai show, in 2018, after seeing great potential for our line. We realized without halal certification, there would be no way to enter the Arab market,” said the exports manager of Divine Chocolates, Diego Heineck.
Last year, Divine took 2nd place in the Best Chocolate category at the International Sweets and Biscuit Fair ( ISM Middle East 2022) in Dubai with its milk chocolate Escolhas.
“We see a great potential for chocolates in Middle Eastern countries, but we are having trouble finding a good partner!” said Heineck to ANBA.
The chocolate maker already exports to Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, and the United States. According to Heineck, sales to Paraguay are about to start. “We export 2% of what we produce, as we started the company’s internationalization a short time ago, and we want to expand to around 30%,” said Heineck.
History
After two years of research, the Turatti family opened the Divine Chocolates factory in October 2011 in Encantado, Rio Grande do Sul. Initially, they sold only to local and regional customers; currently, they serve all of Brazil through the company’s website and have points of sale in 15 states.
The chocolate maker from Rio Grande do Sul values the quality of its products by employing technology, innovation, and sustainability. Its goal is to be recognized as a healthy and tasty food brand by different audiences by 2024.
Divine Chocolates has a wide range of products. They include milk chocolate, vegan, 70% cocoa, bars, powder, powder mix for fondue, zero sugar, balls with rice flakes, truffles, a healthy line with whey protein, peanuts, and hazelnut cream, in addition to a line of coffees, among other products.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
