Dubai – Brazilian enterprises exhibiting at Dubai’s Gulfood have closed their participation this Thursday (27th), the fair’s final day, after landing deals with clients in the United Arab Emirates, Russia, Pakistan and other countries, mostly in the Middle East and North Africa.
Apart from the deals closed, the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce CEO Michel Alaby was approached by representatives of importing companies in India, Australia, Nigeria and Pakistan. The Arab Brazilian Chamber was one of the organizers of the Brazilian participation in the fair, alongside the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil). The participants have said one of the fair’s main features is the visibility it enjoys, and the quality of the visitors it attracts.
“The enterprises are very pleased with this edition. The Gulfood’s reach is amazing, it gets to very distant places. It attracts buyers who do not attend the ISM (one of the world’s leading confectionery fairs, held in Germany). This is the ideal territory for most exporters,” said the export vice president at the Brazilian Cocoa and Confectionery Manufacturers Association (Abicab), Solange Isidoro.
The export manager for confectionery company Peccin, Alain Wehbe, said he “cannot complain” about the sales performance. Within the first few hours of the fair, last Sunday (23rd), he had already closed his first contracts. “Our results were better than expected. Apart from the deals we have closed, we have made many good contacts. We will have a lot of work on our hands over the next few days as a result of these contacts,” said Wehbe. Most of Peccin’s sales went to Gulf countries, but some of the product will be shipped to importers and distributors in Morocco, Egypt, Algeria and Tunisia.
The manager of the Brazilian Fruits project, of the Brazilian Fruit Institute (Ibraf), Paulo Passos Filho said the fair was conducive to business with clients in Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Russia and Kuwait. “There is a vast market for fruit pulp, Brazil nut, and juices. Most of our clients are in Europe, but we want to branch out. The Middle East, Eastern Europe and Asia are our priorities. This fair opens up doors into these markets,” he said.
Room for improvement
Alaby said the number of Brazilian participants in the fair has increased by nearly 50% this year from 2013. This year, 77 companies went to the Gulfood alongside the Arab Brazilian Chamber and Apex. The Brazilian stand included a mezzanine where typical dishes were served, cooked using ingredients supplied by the exhibiting companies. Despite the growth, Alaby claims there is room for improvement in 2015.
“We have had a surprising number of companies. Still, we need more product variety, we need to offer more product tastings, and we need to show more of what Brazil can do. We can offer guaraná, for instance. This is an avenue to explore,” he said.
Alaby added that he was impressed with the number of visitors during the five days of the fair. The organizers were expecting 80,000 visitors, but Gulfood director Mark Napier told ANBA last Wednesday (26th) that there would be more.
“I was surprised with how many people were interested in Brazil. I spoke to an importer from India who is looking to buy Brazilian rice and beans, one from Nigeria seeking poultry, one Australian shopping for sugar, and a Pakistani who was interested in Brazilian chocolate. I spoke to people from half the exhibiting companies, and all of them said they want to come back next year,” said Alaby.
Apex international market analyst Marcio Guerra said this was the best edition yet for Brazil, because the country had more space. He said the visitor profile at this fair is conducive to business. “The Gulfood is visited by decision-makers for the buying companies. They come with their minds set on closing deals,” he said. By the time this report was completed, the Apex had not released the combined business volume expected by the participating Brazilian companies.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
