Doha – Brazilian businessmen who participated in the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade delegation to the Middle East, which has already visited Syria, Kuwait and Doha, in Qatar, evaluated the trip optimistically on Thursday (2).
This is the case with Ulisses Brambini, the president of Bello Papaya, a company that produces and exports papaw. “The people here [in Qatar] like it [papaw] very much," he exclaimed. O The businessman has participated in other Ministry missions to the Arab world and sells to Lebanon and Morocco, but not to the Gulf.
According to him, local importers buy the Brazilian fruit through intermediaries, mainly in the Netherlands, and pay more for the product. Brambini said that the cost of his papaw is practically half that paid by buyers through the intermediaries.
The executive added that two suppliers of luxury hotel chains in Qatar want to close deals immediately. "The demand is very great, but I can supply the orders," he said.
Paulo Hegg, another veteran in trade delegations to the Middle East, representing cheese producer Tirolez, in turn, presented a new product to the market: Cheese Kebab. It is cheese on a skewer, well known in Brazil, adapted to the Arab taste.
"It is a unique launch for the region, due to the name, concept, flavour and originality," he said. "It is connected to the local culture," he pointed out. Kebabs in the Arab world are normally made out of meat, chicken or lamb. According to the executive, who grilled the product during meetings with businessmen in Doha, the local importers liked the cheese version.
"The conventional product [Brazilian dairy] is very expensive, so we are seeking original products not to have to compete for prices," said Hegg. "The interest of importers shows that we are on the correct route," he said.
Aderbal Alves Borges, from A&W Foods, in Goiás, took cheese bread and biscuits to the event. He offered snacks that are sold frozen, for later baking. "The receptiveness has been very good. They (the Arabs) greatly appreciate dairy products," he pointed out.
The businessman added that the contacts have been "very good". “[Cheese Bread] is a novelty [in the Middle East] and seems to have great potential," he said. This is the first mission of the kind in which he participates.
Dario Chemerinski, the export director at Gomes da Costa, which produces canned tuna and sardines, one more veteran in negotiations in the region, also praised the event. "Organisation is excellent. It is the most professional mission over the last two years," he said. "The level of the contacts has improved much, and there are many high level contacts," he said.
The executive pointed out that he himself travelled well prepared. Apart from offering packages in Arabic, as the company already exports to the region, he is studying the language. Gomes da Costa has a distributor in Syria and Chemerinski said he made "very serious" contacts in Kuwait and that there are "great perspectives" in Qatar.
Chemerinski even presented his contacts to Paulo Hegg, from Tirolez, and Carlos Rehder, from Novo Mel. Rehder, in turn, said that the countries visited up to now present "great potential" for his product. His cash cow is honey, but he also represents chilli sauce, granola, cereal bars and juice.
Rehder explained that his products are "premium" and that they were well accepted. "Nobody (none of the contacts) said it has to be cheap," he said.
Another person who pointed out the good organisation and reception by businessmen was Fernanda Tavares Pais, the export manager at Ruette Spices, which sells black pepper. "We were received very well everywhere and there is good movement [at the business roundtables]," he said.
Colleague Cristina Guerreiro, the export manager at the company, but in the area of citric fruit, sees "great possibilities in Qatar". The company already sells spices to countries in the Middle East, including Syria, and has now started promoting fresh fruit. "We are seeking direct producers," added Cristina.
For home
From another sector, Juliano Barretti, the export manager at Unicasa, which owns brand Dell Anno and Favorita, of planned furniture, also praised the mission. "It is important for us to meet many importers," she explained.
The company exports to Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates, and did business in Kuwait. In the current trip, Barretti said he did good business. "Now we have much work to do [on returning to Brazil]," he said.
In this line, the minister of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, Miguel Jorge, who is leading the delegation, said to ANBA that companies need to continue the visits and dialogue with importers after the trip. "It only works if people maintain their contacts," he said.
That is what Romulo Bertoni, the trader at Deca, which makes bathroom metals and china, is doing. The company already has a representative in the Middle East – Arteco, in Dubai -, which even exhibited at the Brazilian stand at the Big 5 Show, a fair in the building sector that took place in the emirate last week.
"I am seeking clients for them [the representatives]," said Bertoni. "We have great relations," he added, referring to the Arteco partners, Mohamed Elshamy and Ehab Al Jamal. Even if some client appears interested in buying directly from the head office, the trader agreed to pay a commission to the Arab partners.
The Ministry delegation has the support of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, of the Brazilian Foreign Office (Itamaraty), of the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) and participation of the Ministry of Agriculture.
*Translated by Mark Ament
