São Paulo – Olive oil, wines, canned tuna, preserve salads, dates and other sweet items. Assorted food products from Tunisia were presented by exporters from the Arab country to Brazilian executives as a means of enhancing bilateral trade. The tasting session preceded the meeting of the Brazil-Tunisia Business Council this Wednesday afternoon (26) at the Renaissance Hotel in São Paulo.
“These are traditional items in Tunisia which are successful internationally and are exported to the United States and Canada. There’s olive oil with pepper, with garlic, plain, and truffle olive oil,” Anis Ben Amor, a Tunisian businessman who has lived in Brazil for a few years and who represents Tunisian brands told ANBA. His goal is to increase sales: “We are seeking major distributors in order to extend our reach.”
One of the new products is preserve salad, stored in glass jars and with a shelf life of up to three years. “This is a widely popular product in Tunisia, and now around the world as well, a mix of green pepper, garlic and tomatoes. There is a big market for it in Europe and Canada,” said Ben Amor, who also showcased typical Tunisian peppers.
Dhouha Mizouni Chtourou, the CEO of Slama Huiles, told attendees about the qualities of Oleiva, a Tunisian-made olive oil that gets shipped to countries including Canada, Germany, Japan, China, United States and the UAE. “This is our first time in Brazil. We are looking for a partner to advertise our product on the Brazilian market,” he said.
Besides olive oil, she was offering dates and typical sweets – which were widely successful among those who tasted them.
Meeting
To expand the trade flow from Tunisia to Brazil – and the other way around – was one of the points brought up by the members of the Brazil-Tunisia Business Council in its seventh meeting. “The Council was created to facilitate the business relation, providing information, contacts and promoting business agreements between the two parts,” said Rubens Hannun, president of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and a member of the Council’s Brazilian side.
Hassine Bouzid, president of the Council from the Arab side, pointed out that trade between the two countries dropped significantly and that it’s necessary to search for new products and sectors. “We need to also think beyond the trade balance, to think about an industrial partnership between Brazil and Tunisia. There are many sectors that we can discuss, such the automotive and aircraft sectors,” said Bouzid.
The Tunisian also suggested the addition of a member from the Tunisian tourism sector to the Council, a suggestion accepted unanimously by the members in a vote proposed by Hannun.
The creation of a work group in both countries to identify the main obstacles to trade in each sector and possible actions was also proposed. The groups would meet monthly and, every two months, both sides would meet via videoconference to discuss the issues.
The meeting also ratified the plans for organizing a mission of Brazilian business owners to Tunisia this year, probably in the last quarter.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum and Sérgio Kakitani
