Taubaté – Saudi Arabia’s Unaizah Chamber of Commerce and Industry representatives and date product manufacturers in Taubaté, Brazil, discussed on Monday (7) the expansion of trade and production of processed date products through partnerships in the sector. Members of the Unaizah Chamber are participating this week in the Anuga Select Brazil food and beverage fair, at a stand organized by the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC). The institution also organized the visit to the production facilities in the São Paulo state.
The CEO of Nature Food Tech, a company with a product line made from dates, Davi Sierra, welcomed the Saudi executives at the headquarters of Yog Sorvetes. Later, he accompanied them to date bar manufacturer Mrs. Taste. There, the businessmen were received by Mrs. Taste’s CEO, Laert Giovanelli. Both companies, Mrs. Taste and Yog Sorvetes, manufacture products created by Nature Food Tech.
During the meeting, the Saudis told Sierra that they could be suppliers of high-quality dates, as Unaizah, located in the Al Qassim province north of Riyadh, has the ideal climate and soil conditions for date palms to produce the fruit. Among these conditions are local temperatures of 50°C in the summer, which are perfect for the ripening of dates. From there, they export to various countries.
The president of the Unaizah Chamber of Commerce, Khaled Mohammad Alsaikhan, said the purpose of his visit to the factories is to do more business in Brazil. “Our goal is to expand the export of dates to a new market, which is Brazil, and also attract investors to the Saudi market, thus creating investments on both sides,” he said.
The vice president of the Unaizah Chamber of Commerce and general manager of Alkeraida Dates, Abdulrahman Mohammed Al-Keraida, suggested selling dates and date pastes from Unaizah to Brazilian entrepreneurs, as well as supporting them in exporting processed products to the Arab country, with the opportunity to reach more markets in Asia. “Brazil is very important for trade exchange with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and our goal is for Brazil to become a hub for distribution in Latin America,” he said.
Among its products, Nature Food Tech has created and markets date bars with collagen, which promise benefits for the skin, as well as creatine, to improve physical performance, and açaí with date pieces, among other products. “The date is a superfood, and the Brazilian market has great potential for growth,” said Sierra. He added the company is preparing to launch more date-based products on the market. Alsaikhan noted that Sierra’s product line has the potential to succeed beyond Brazil. “We’re used to eating dates in their natural form, but the new generation doesn’t want that anymore. Therefore, processed dates have a strong appeal with this audience,” he said.
The visit also included Unaizah Chamber of Commerce Secretary-General Ryiadh Abdulrahman Al Jowhar, Presidency Secretary Fahad Ali Alruqayi, and Vice President Assistant Mohammed Abdullah Alkurayda, as well as ABCC Institutional Relations Advisor Bassel Abou Latif.
Read more:
Unaizah, land of dates and opportunities
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
