São Paulo – The first day of Food Arabia, a fair for the food industry held in Jeddah, in Saudi Arabia, resulted in good contacts for the four Brazilian companies attending the event. Out of nearly 40 visits made to the Brazilian booth, more than ten should result in actual deals. The information was supplied by Michel Alaby, the CEO of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, who is participating in the fair.
The most contacted Brazilian companies were Frigorífico Equatorial, a meat packing company, and ABN Trading, sought mainly for maize and fruit juices. Each received ten visits. Equatorial has perspectives of closing deals with four enterprises and ABN, with three. Porcelain manufacturer Oxford Porcelanas received four contacts in the first day of the fair, and Energy Trading received five. “It was a great first day,” said Alaby.
The Arab Brazilian Chamber was also contacted by six businessmen seeking products such as poultry, furniture, paper and coffee, as well as logistics services. The fair features a Brazilian booth for the first time, organized by the Arab Brazilian Chamber and the Brazilian foreign ministry (Itamaraty). Aside from the four companies, the Brazilian booth also counts on the Brazilian Halal Food Centre (Cibal), a Halal food certified.
The Arab Brazilian Chamber delegation, comprising the organization’s CEO, the executive for Government Affairs, Tamer Mansour, and Business executive Guilherme Ferrioli also visited the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry alongside Frigorífico Equatorial executives. They were received by the Jeddah Chamber’s secretary general, Adnan Mandoura and the administrative manager to the Bilateral Affairs Department, Hanaa Al Zamzami.
One of the main topics of the visit was an agreement for a meeting between Brazilian and Saudi investors, due between late this year and early 2012. Another matter addressed during the visit was a “Brazilian Week” aimed at promoting the country’s products and culture in Saudi Arabia. Food Arabia will continue until Wednesday (1st).
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
