São Paulo – The Brazilian food company Gomes da Costa announced its first sale of fish to Syria. The 133,000 cans of fish were shipped in December, consisting of 80% sardine and 20% tuna. The contract value was approximately US$ 65,000.
The sale was made to a local group that leads the market in ketchup, tomato products and canned champignon. The company will be in charge of distributing Gomes da Costa’s products, which will be sold across all sales channels, including the food services sector.
In order to close the deal, the company produced cans with all of the information printed in Arabic, promoted an outdoor campaign and product tastings in the main Syrian cities.
“Entering the Syrian market, one of the world’s largest in per capita fish consumption, is part of the company’s strategy to establish and develop the Gomes da Costa brand in the Middle East and in the Gulf,” stated the company in a press release.
In 2009, Gomes da Costa sold 300,000 cans of tuna to Iraq, and is now negotiating with companies in Jordan, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. The company also sells to other Arab countries, such as Morocco, Libya, Lebanon and the Comoros.
"Gomes da Costa is expanding at full tilt in international markets. This deal is the result of aggressive, successful prospecting work developed by the company," said Dario Chemerinski, the company’s international sales director, in a press release. "Exports to the Arab market are expected to represent approximately 20% of the volume to be shipped by the company in 2010," he added.
Gomes da Costa, which belongs to the Spanish group Calvo, is a leader in the Latin American preserved fish market, with over 30 retail items. The company also has a food service line (tuna in 500g and 1kg packages), targeting the pizzeria, restaurant and catering company segment. The company will be present at Gulfood, the leading trade fair for the Middle Eastern food industry, held in Dubai, from February 21st 24th.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
