São Paulo – Brazilian and Arab food industry businessmen participating in the business matchmaking rounds at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce, in São Paulo, are expecting to close deals with one or more companies they negotiated with. The meeting took place on Tuesday and Wednesday (11th).
“I have found some chocolate companies, which is very interesting, and I believe we can do good business with them. I have also met coffee producers and we may strike deals with them too. I have contacted roughly 20 companies, and some of them are extremely interesting to the Middle East,” says Moyaed Shaker Al-Samman, the deputy director general of the International Center Group Foodstuff, which distributes products in Kuwait.
The company also wants to import cashew nuts, beef, and poultry. Out of all Brazilian suppliers he negotiated with, Samman expressed interest in products from Harald (chocolate), Energy (sugar), and C.Vale (poultry).
“The companies are very interested in entering partnerships, they are looking for top-quality product,” says Fernando Aguiar, a representative of C. Vale. Aguiar rates his talks with Samman as “very good.” “He showed great business perspectives. Everyone I talked to was interested,” added the executive.
Khushi Gurbani, the wholesale and import director at Babasons, which distributes food in Bahrain, talks about the products he is looking for, and what he found during the meetings.
“I am looking for poultry and beef. I am also looking for juices and sweets, and I have already found some suppliers of these products. There is good fruit in Brazil, and that is of interest to my country,” he says. Of the companies he spoke with, Gurbani claimed he is interested in doing business with meat packing company JBS.
Priscila Ruiz, of trading company Argofruta, hopes to have found an importer for her products in the Middle East. “We want to find a company that will buy from Argofruta and sell to [end] consumers. Barakat sells directly to hotels, and that is the type of partner we are looking for. Barakat has potential clients, and was interested in our lemon and ginger,” she says of her conversations with an Emirati importer. The São Paulo-based trading company exports lemon, mango, grape, papaya, and ginger to countries such as Netherlands, England, Canada, and Russia.
With 70 supermarkets in the Emirates, the Spinneys chain does not import from Brazil. The commercial manager Tinus Hendrikse has come to the country seeking suppliers of fruit, vegetables, pork, poultry, beef and sugar. “The mix of meetings was great. There are some suppliers we may strike deals with, such as Daros (fruit and vegetables), JBS (beef), Frangos Pioneiro (poultry) and GCM Trade (coffee). The prices are competitive. We currently buy pork and poultry from Spain, but here [in Brazil], prices are more competitive,” he says. The chain operates in Oman and Bahrain.
Muslims do not eat pork, but most of the Emirates’ population is made of expatriates, and many do not follow the religion, therefore the product is available at supermarkets.
After talking to eight importers, Ilonka Eijsink, of Frangos Pioneiro, was betting on good deals with the Arabs. “It was really worth it. Whenever we go to fairs, we receive many unfocused companies at our booths. Here, you have established companies which are looking for serious business. I believe 80% of the conversations should lead to business, which is a much higher rate than you get in a fair,” she says.
The matchmaking rounds, held in partnership with the Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex), brought together ten Arab importers and over 60 Brazilian companies.
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
