São Paulo – The Egyptian crystal brand Asfour is expanding in Brazil by adding new products and distribution outlets. Businessman Mohammed Darwich, an Egyptian who lives in São Paulo, has been importing Asfour products for five years now. He is the one spearheading the brand’s growth efforts in Brazil.
Darwich sells mostly Asfour crystal chandeliers and parts thereof. Last year saw him open the second Crystal Star shop, in São Paulo. He also started selling customized corporate gifts made from Asfour crystals. Enterprises can order made-to-order objects featuring logos or recipients’ names to give away to their clients.
“If you go to any crystals manufacturer and say ‘Look, I want a customized product with a name and a logo on it,” either they won’t make it, or the price will be sky-high. Asfour has the know-how to make very affordable, cost-effective custom gifts,” said Darwich. The items are made in Egypt.
Darwich partnered up with Asfour in 2016. He also has business interests in the tourism industry, and he was appointed as Asfour’s Latin America distributor. “I am passionate about crystals. I used to buy lots of pieces as presents to people,” he says. In speaking with retailers, however, Darwich realized many didn’t believe in the potential of products that nonetheless were in demand from end buyers.
That’s when the idea came up to open Crystal Star stores to sell Asfour items direct to shoppers. The first store opened in 2018, on São Paulo’s Indianópolis Ave., and the second one in 2020, on Nossa Senhora do Sabará Ave., in the same city. The stores are high-end, ample and luxurious. “When you show the product to end buyers, they buy it,” says Darwich regarding product acceptance.
He explains that the chandeliers are made entirely in Egypt. Many are bathed in gold or nickel, and all are high-end. “We guarantee our clients that this is true crystal. It doesn’t go yellow, it doesn’t go dark, it retains its shimmer forever,” he claims. According to him, the chandeliers are the best on the market, and on par with famed boutique crystal brands like Swarovski. “Only they are more affordable.”
Besides selling chandeliers, chandelier parts and corporate gifts, Darwich builds and assembles chandeliers with Egyptian crystals on demand for manufacturers and retailers in Brazil. “This is to give clients in Latin America a shot at customizing their product,” he argues, adding that he works fast and sells at a good cost-to-benefit ratio.
The Crystal Star stores recently started selling high-end non-crystal chandeliers made by Egypt’s Tiara brand, which Asfour has purchased. “It’s a contemporary line that’s really in high demand, particularly among architects.”
The Mercosur-Egypt free trade agreement gave Darwich’s business a big boost. “We are paying less taxes, so we became more competitive in relation to the Chinese.” The agreement became effective a little over three years ago, lowering or lifting import charges on the sale of multiple goods from Egypt to Brazil and the other way around.
In spite of how much his business has grown, Darwich has further plans for Asfour in Brazil. He plans on importing a crystal jewelry line this year. The idea came when fine jewelry stores started reaching out to him to shop for crystals. Darwich requested product adaptations to match Brazilian tastes, and he expects to start selling in 2021, including out of the Crystal Star shops.
Plans for this year also include having a chandelier design contest for Brazilian architects, and presenting the winner with a trip to Egypt and a tour of Asfour manufacturing facilities. He should also bring a group of his architect business partners along on the trip.
The Egyptian looks happy working with crystals, a product he loves. Before he went into business, he says, Asfour crystals were sold by Chinese vendors in Brazil, but all they had to offer the market was pricing. Since he used to live in Egypt and currently lives in Brazil, Darwich is able to show exactly what the brand’s crystals are about, and to convey information about Brazilian market particularities to the Egyptian company.
But his ultimate goal is to make Asfour the biggest player on the market in Brazil. He has also made sales to Argentina and Chile, and has expansion plans for Asfour across the region. In Brazil, in addition to the Crystal Star shops in São Paulo, he supplies multi-brand retailers.
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Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
