São Paulo – Some of the Brazilian companies attending a business matchmaking event with Arab importers this Wednesday (2nd) at the offices of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce in São Paulo, brought unique products to show to the prospective buyers from the Middle East and North Africa.
The event is part of a Buyer Project organized by the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) in partnership with the Arab Chamber. Seven Middle Eastern and North African importers participated.
“Our product is an innovative one. All of our product lines are made from green banana biomass, which is a functional food. We have developed a savory line and a sweet line with pâtés and appetizers. It is a fiber-rich product,” said Lourival Franchi, partner and director of the São Paulo-based company La Pianezza.
“We have a chocolate cream line with four flavors: hazelnut, coconut, peanut and bitter, and our savory line includes artichoke, cashew nut, nut, tomato and pepper, and sardella,” he explained. Franchi said he has begun exporting the items to Germany and the United States, and is now in the process of seeking out new markets.
As of the interview, he had spoken with delegates from the Saudi-based Arabian Trading Corporation (Atraco) and from the UAE’s Lulu Group. “The talks were quite interesting. They were very welcoming and are looking for unique products. I envision a great business potential, especially with Lulu,” he asserted.
The sessions were also attended by Morocco’s Groupex, Egypt’s Elmahmal Group and AM Group, Kuwait’s Union of Consumer Cooperative Societies and Saudi Arabia’s Panda.
Valéria Natal, the Export director for Distillerie Stock, said that four years ago her company launched a line of concentrated natural alcohol-free syrups that can be used in making various dishes and beverages.
“It’s highly concentrated. One 700 ml bottle makes four to five liters of anything. I have 31 flavors, a light line and a tropical line of Brazilian fruit like assai, guaraná, banana, pineapple and guava,” the executive explained.
According to her, the syrups get exported to France, the UK and Paraguay. “We are looking to increase [export destinations] and I’m on the verge of selling to a trading company in Dubai. There’s a huge market in the Middle East, and we have a keen interest in it,” said Natal, who believes there’s room for her products in all Muslim countries.
The matchmaking sessions also featured suppliers of more traditional products. Daniela Pernambuco, the Export manager of hard candy and lollipop manufacturer Berbau, said her product gets shipped to Yemen, but wants to branch out into other Arab countries.
“Today, our exports concentrate in Central and South America and Africa. The Arab market is our goal now, so we can expand our business,” she said. Berbau exports 20% to 25% of output.
She believes the top potential buyers of her products among the participating countries are Egypt, Morocco and Kuwait. “We got quotation requests from these countries in trade shows, and their consumption profiles are similar to Yemen’s, which is the most welcoming country when it comes to our line of products,” Pernambuco explained.
Bruno Barbaresco, the Export manager with Guacira Alimentos, said his company began shipping rice to Saudi Arabia this month. Rice is the company’s flagship product, with a 12,000 ton-per-month output. Guacira also sells beans, sugar, salt and soy oil, and it imports items such as olive oil, pasta and sauces to sell in Brazil.
“We are here to try and move more product in the [Arab] market, because we’re aware that [they] buy rice, and we want to be in the Arab market,” Barbaresco explained. According to the executive, out of the participating companies, he believes he could strike deals with Atraco, the AM Group and Panda.
Various suppliers
Atraco partner Sajauddin Amiji said he is mostly looking to buy coffee, sugar and candy. “I’ve met lots of people, and now we must see how we’ll go about doing business,” he said. He explained that his trading company imports sugar and coffee from Brazil and is looking for new suppliers. “We are here to look into alternative suppliers,” he stated.
Muneer Abu Saada, the Business manager with Saudi Arabia’s Panda supermarket chain, is attending a matchmaking session in Brazil for the first time. His network of 225 supermarkets and 300 smaller outlets imports beef and poultry from Brazil.
He said he spoke with Brazilian suppliers of a bevy of products. Apart from meats, the importer became interested in a cereal brand. “I already spoke with a cereal supplier who has a great product, great packaging and very attractive pricing. As soon as I return to Saudi Arabia, I will have the person in charge get in touch with this supplier,” he said.
Lulu Group manager Jitin Kishore said he buys beef and poultry from Brazil, but now he is looking for other items, such as sugar. “We are exploring to see what the options are in Brazil right now. We saw a few products and now we want to do a market study on them. If the potential is there, we might go through with it.” Chocolates and juices captured his attention at the event. “We didn’ t close any deals, but talks are ongoing,” he asserted.
On Tuesday (1st), the first day of matchmaking, three Brazilian companies closed deals: one for cereals and two for candy.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
