São Paulo – Brazilian meat company Dom Glutão will participate in the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce’s stand in Gulfood, food and beverage fair in Dubai from February 17 to 21. In an interview to ANBA, exports manager Yohana Spena said the Middle East region is the company’s current priority.
Dom Glutão works from the cattle raising to the slaughter, deboning, and shipping with their own brand, as reported Spena. “We have the license for the halal slaughter, and among the Arab countries, we work with Jordan, United Arab Emirates, Palestine – our three main markets in the Middle East – in addition to Qatar, Libya and Iraq,” says the manager.
Currently the company sells to 20 countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. Dom Glutão is a family company founded 50 years ago and started exporting in 2014. The operation in the Arab world started two years. Yohana Spena said that 50% of the total exported by Dom Glutão goes to Hong Kong, but this percentage has been falling.
“At first, we worked only with Hong Kong, our only client; from 2014 until now we’ve started investing in other international markets and are trying to obtain a constant growth in the Middle East, our main goal,” she explained. According to her, China has been suffering local economic problems that are affecting the sales to Hong Kong, so the company eventually switched the focus to the Arabs.
Dom Glutão already participated in Gulfood in 2017 at the Arab Brazilian Chamber stand, and in 2018 at the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) pavilion, both with excellent results, according to Spena.
“I’ve worked with the Middle East for more than 10 years, it is an excellent market, and now Dom Glutão is trying to win this market,” said Spena. The manager said she’s attended Gulfood since 2008 and it is a very important fair in the animal protein segment. “The intention behind participating in Gulfood in 2017 was to get to know the market because, back then, the company didn’t know the logistics and food security requirements in the Arab countries; in 2018, however, it was the time to implement the cooled products, which are a necessity for the Arab market, the clients were demanding them,” she revealed.
About the participation in this 2019 edition, Spena said Dom Glutão is always looking for new clients and opportunities, but is focusing in retaining their customers, which are trading companies and regional distributors. “We are applying for ministerial approval to open exports to Egypt and Saudi Arabia,” says Spena. Approval must come from the ministries of agriculture in both Arab countries and from the Brazilian ministry. “Since I have clients in [the Egyptian and Saudi] markets, Gulfood is always a good opportunity to attract new markets, and I also receive my Hong Kong clients there,” she told.
According to Spena, the total exported by the company in 2016 was an average of five to six containers per month; in 2017, the volume climbed to 30 containers per month. “In 2018, we managed to maintain this volume, which is a victory since it was a very difficult year for us. Nobody was buying, the market retracted, so simply maintaining the previous volume was to be celebrated,” she revealed.
Contact Info
Dom Glutão
R Vitorio Thomazotti, 105 – Bairro Jardim Bela Vista
Leme – SP
Cep 13.611-413
+55 (19) 3573 4566
export@domglutao.com.br
www.domglutao.com.br/export
Quick Facts
Gulfood
February 17 to 21
17 to 20, from 11 am to 7 pm
21, from 11 am to 5 pm
Dubai World Trade Centre
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Registration prices: until February 7, 270 AED (USD 73); after this date, 420 AED (USD 114)
Click here to register
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
