São Paulo – Brazilian olive oil importers had a chance to become familiar with the Moroccan product at a matchmaking event on Monday (16th) and Tuesday (17th) in São Paulo. Eight companies from the Arab country took part in the event, which is part of an oil industry mission organized by the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture and Fishers, with support from the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce.
Morocco has yet to export its olive oil directly to Brazil. The mission’s purpose is precisely to break open the Brazilian market to product from the North African country.
“We have been familiar with the Moroccan product for some time, because Morocco is a major olive oil supplier to Europe, but this is my first time having direct contact with producers,” said Armando Soares, from the São Paulo-based trading company Le Roy, which imports foodsdtuffs for Brazilian industries and wholesalers.
“The [Moroccan olive oil] industry is at a rather advanced stage, it’s a modern industry that’s growing at full speed,” the executive said. According to him, olive oil is one of the products of interest of most of his 50 current clients. Soares gave a positive assessment of the Moroccan olive oil, and he believes other factors should help unlock the Brazilian market.
“The olive oil’s quality is good, and in the olive oil world you can always fine-tune your product by creating the right blend for each market. I guess the biggest issue is the price, as well as the interest from importer in innovating when it comes to product origin. Brazil is very accustomed to consuming product from Portugal, from Spain, from Argentina. Moroccan olive oil would be something new,” he said.
Hanane Zehrouni, the joint director of Morocco’s Lesieur Cristal, said the same regarding olive oil-shopping habits in Brazil. “People are used to Portuguese olive oil,” she said. Zehrouni believes introducing Moroccan olive oil in Brazil would require “hard work.” “But it’s an opportunity, and they (the importers) should give a chance for the Moroccan product on the Brazilian market.”
Lesieur Cristal is one of the oldest olive oil producers in Morocco. The company was established in 1937. It currently produces 10,000 tons of olive oil per year and exports 70% of it. Top buyers are Italy, Spain, Portugal and the United States. Zehrouni, who had spoken with eight Brazilian companies by this Tuesday morning, believes her company should strike a deal with some of them.
Hicham Chraibi, the CEO of Olea Capital, also bets that the Brazilian market will break open to Moroccan olive oil. “Brazil is interesting to us because it’s a brand new market, and we wish to export premium product to it. We believe gourmet niches might be interested in this type of product,” he said. According to the executive, his company is one of the Moroccan olive oil industry leaders.
Olea makes 1,500 tons of extra-virgin olive oil a year, with plans to reach 4,000 tons in the next four years. “We export 95% of our product. Our leading buyer is the United States, and we also ship product to Europe,” Chraibi explained.
Agro Nafiss is another extra-virgin olive oil producer. The Development director Zoubida Chahdi remarked that the company makes two different types of olive oil; one is spicier and the other is sweeter. Each year, the company makes 150 tons of olive oil, 30% of which gets shipped abroad. The part that is sold domestically goes to hotels and restaurants. “In Brazil, we’re looking for a distributor who can place our brand on the market. We can deliver our product with the buyer’s label, we’re very flexible,” he said.
With an annual output of 800 tons of olive oil, La Maasera wants to sell bottled product in Brazil. “We’re here to show our product to Brazilian companies, so that they become familiar with it and we can get in touch and work together,” said Olive Oil Farming director Talha Abdelilah. Presently, 95% of La Maasera’s production is sold to the United States, with the remainder onsumed on the Moroccan market.
The executive, who had spoken with people from five different companies by this Tuesday morning, believed two of them could lead to prospective deals. “They should travel to Morocco to see the plantations and gather information about our group before they begin importing,” he said.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
