Cairo – Egypt’s El Captain Company for Extracting Natural Oils, Plants and Cosmetics, which manufactures medicinal and aromatic oils, plans to break into the cosmetics market of Brazil. The company’s CEO Ahmed Ibrahim sees Latin America as an important and promising point of consumption, where Brazil stands out for its large demand and its advanced exporting cosmetics industry.
The CEO believes that the products by El Captain will catch the attention of the Brazilian market for their plant origin. El Captain was established in 1932 and is one of the oldest companies of oil extracts in Egypt. One of its best-known products is the black seed oil, found in Egyptian perfumeries and very popular in international markets El Captain offers some 150 varieties of oils, all with quality certificates and registered at the Ministry of Health of Egypt.
Ibrahim stressed that unlike most firms, El Captain’s exports climbed during the COVID-19 pandemic. He explained many countries turned to natural products that boost immunity and fight diseases like the black seed oil.
The firm also managed to tackle the significant price increases of raw materials like crude oils by using two strategies. First they encouraged local farmers to grow certain plant species, then they struck deals to buy their crops. This made the farmers expand their croplands. Ibrahim said the firm has added some 30 new types of oils to its product line since 2020, expanding its production to approximately 10,000 tons a year.
According to the CEO, the firm now aims at expanding its exports to markets in South Asia and West Europe, as well as Brazil. Ibrahim said the company is seeking international trade shows and forums in Brazilians cities to participate. El Captain participated in Gulfood 2023, a trade show that took place in Dubai in February, whose Egyptian pavilion saw a large number of visitors.
The CEO believes the Gulfood attendance was the manifestation of a strong desire of visitors to go back to normalcy in the global economy and the search for breaking into new markets following the large decline in demand and international trade during the pandemic. Ibrahim is optimistic on the future and believes in the decline of international freight prices, which were a major burden for companies, industries and sellers during 2022, so everyone is now trying to compensate for last year’s losses.
Translated by Georgette Merkhan & Guilherme Miranda
