São Paulo – The sector, including Brazil’s cookie industry, exported USD 28,000 and 22 tonnes to Djibouti in January this year. Data comes from the Market Intelligence of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC). But there is more. The Arab country also consumes products such as candies and Brazilian sweets, said trader Gilberto Antonio Jorge, who operates in exports of Brazilian brand Cory products to several African countries, including Djibouti and Somalia. Pictured above, Jorge’s team at Millen International, the company that represents the Cory candy brand.
“In Djibouti, we have long-time clients. They’ve already purchased Cory’s full line. Cookies don’t have that much volume. They purchase the most sweets and drops from us, which sell very well. And ‘candies,’ which include everything with sugar, soft candy, and hard candy. And they buy some products with chocolate too, honey bread with chocolate, for example, or chocolate-covered tubes. The strongest products are chewable candies, such as Azedinha and Hipopó,” he told ANBA.
The shipments Jorge makes to the country are monthly. The client, an importing group called Al Chadily, makes the payment directly to the Brazilian trader’s office in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates.
Buyer and seller met at international shows. “He goes to all the shows, like those in Dubai and Paris, France. Many importers from African countries usually go to Sial Paris,” said the Brazilian trader, mentioning the show specializing in the food sector.
Jorge also said exports have become attractive due to the characteristic of the country’s retail hub in the region. “Djibouti has a business expression not only for the domestic market but also for supplying neighboring countries,” he revealed.
The country is practically the only importer of this type of food, explained Jorge. And the local public consumes Brazilian products, has low purchasing power, and is primarily between classes B and C.
Although it has no previous data, the Brazilian Association of Cookies, Pasta, and Industrialized Bread & Cakes (Abimapi) stated that shipments to the country have upturned after the pandemic.
The association’s forecast is also to boost the total sales growth of cookies and crackers to the foreign market in the second half of this year, which traditionally tends to heighten production and exports of the segment. Africa and the Middle East could be focus regions in the period.
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
