Dubai – The stand of Companhia Cacique de Café Solúvel, the owner of coffee brand Café Pelé, at the Gulfood, the food sector fair, received today (22) the visit of two representatives interested in buying Brazilian coffee.
Falah Habeeb, the director of the Iraqi Alghida Trading FZCO, explains that the company has a private tea brand, Crestea, and now wants to use the brand to sell coffee. “The Pelé brand is very famous,” said Habeeb, on explaining that he already knew the Brazilian company, which has a representative in Iraq.
According to the executive, the coffee business is still new to Alghida. However, his organisation already does business with other food sectors in Brazil. In 2009, the company purchased around 2,000 tonnes of chicken and 200 tonnes of beef from the country. With regard to coffee, Habeeb says he plans to purchase a 25-tonne container.
Argélia Andrade, the manager of the Cacique account for the Middle East, says that this is already the second contact the company makes with the Alghida representative, who was also at the company stand yesterday. For this reason, she believes a deal will be closed. “The expectation is very great because, when clients return for the second or third time, it is because they are really interested.”
In 2009, Cacique sold seven 25-tonne containers to Iraqi companies.
Andrade also spoke to a group of buyers from Syrian trading company Zakzouk, who were interested in coffee in bulk. “They liked the quality and seem very interested, asking for a price quotation and I am going to give it to them this week. Syria is a very great market, which has been growing very much,” said the executive. “I think we are going to get an answer soon,” she finished off.
Mate
The Brazilian Association of Mate Herb Exporters (Abimate) is also satisfied with the results it obtained in the first days of Gulfood.
According to Heroldo Secco Junior, the export project manager, the association has already made contacts for possible sales to Syria, the Emirates and Lebanon. The company explained that the greatest interest of the Arabs is for the purchase of herb in bulk, but that there was also interest in the establishment of a joint venture for trade of a mate herb soft drink.
“To them [the Arabs], the fact that Brazil produces ready-to-drink tea was a surprise,” said Secco.
“The Brazilian company should be responsible for transfer of production and also adaptation of the formula to the local taste, receiving royalties for trade of the product,” said Secco, about how the partnership would work if established.
This is the first time that Abimate participates in the Gulfood. According to the executive, in the first two days of the fair alone, the association has already made thirteen contacts with true potential for business generation.
*Translated by Mark Ament
