São Paulo – Frozen strawberries are the leading product of companies from Egypt participating in this week’s APAS Show, a major food and beverage fair that is being held until Thursday (16) in São Paulo, Brazil. Of the seven companies from the Arab countries at the APAS Show, at least two confirmed they’ve already signed export deals. Reasons for their competitiveness, they say, include quality, low costs and the free trade agreement that Egypt has with the Mercosur, a bloc consisting of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
“We have a high-quality product for a competitive price,” said Frosty Foods export specialist Ashrakat Hossam El Din. Strawberries are the leading products her company exports in a portfolio that also includes frozen broccolis, pea and corn. The company has exported to Brazil for three years and sees potential during its first participation in the APAS Show.
Egypt’s Elswedy Food Industries export sales team leader Tasnim Hamada ascribes the growing presence of frozen products from Egypt in Brazil to low labor costs, prime geographic location, and surplus production.
“We believe more business with Brazil will come from the APAS Show. We were already in touch with some customers before we came here,” said Hamada. The company reverts its entire production to exports. Eight per cent are frozen strawberries.
Egypt eyes rising strawberry consumption
Brazil is also the destination of sales from EGCT Frozen Fruits. For her second time at the APAS Show, export manager Lilia Fostakovska says the Brazilian demand for frozen produce have grown, and the company’s production and shipment are made to suit the clients’ preferences of size and packaging – either with the EGCT brand or their own. “I believe there is nothing like being at the show and speaking to people face to face,” she said.
Fostakovska says prices vary according to the demand, but a tonne costs an average of USD 1,100, and containers arriving in the country have a capacity of up to 26 tonnnes. The company also exports fresh oranges to Brazil, although the country is a major producer of oranges for juicing.
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Mima Foods director-general Ahmed El Shenawy and sales and exports manager Anna Gurina said that the global consumption of strawberries is on the rise and Brazilian consumption has grown roughly 200% from a year to another, thus encouraging the presence of the company at the show. “Egypt has been competition for the past five years. We’ve exported more and more,” they said. The Kuwait-based, Saudi-controlled company sees potential in selling their strawberries, broccoli and cauliflower in Brazil.
A representative from the frozen fries company Dalsa said their presence in Brazil is key to boost sales as Brazil “is a major consumer of fries.” The company expects to boost sales to its current consumers in Brazil in the coming months. The companies are participating in the APAS Show at the Arab Space organized by the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC). In addition to selling their products, they participate in technical visits organized by the ABCC.
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
