São Paulo – A new date brand from the United Arab Emirates-based company Al Foah has begun selling in Brazil with the goal of reaching consumers across all income levels. The Freakin’ Awesome dates were launched by the Arab company last year and have been available in 220 stores of the Atacadão supermarket chain for about two weeks.
According to the company’s representative in Brazil, Julia de Biase, the brand is currently available in Atacadão stores in the country’s South, Southeast, and Center-West regions, including the states of Rio Grande do Sul, Santa Catarina, Paraná, São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Goiás, and Mato Grosso. However, early next year, it will also reach the Northeast of Brazil, totaling around 370 Atacadão locations.
Before Freakin’ Awesome, Al Foah was already selling Date Crown, the company’s first and most traditional brand, in Brazil. Date Crown dates, also distributed by representative de Biase, are available in Brazilian chains such as Sam’s Club, Carrefour, Mateus, Festval, Guanabara, São Vicente, Celeiro, and Empório Santa Luzia, among others. The list mainly includes gourmet or premium retailers but also features supermarkets catering to consumers from the upper class to the working class.
The arrival of Freakin’ Awesome aims to further popularize date consumption in Brazil. For this reason, Atacadão, which serves a diverse customer base, including lower-income consumers, is the company’s main bet. De Biase says the Freakin’ Awesome brand is affordable and explains the strategy to fit Brazilian budgets by offering smaller packages. The products are sold in 200-gram packs for Khalas dates and 80-gram packs for chocolate-covered and stuffed dates.
“Freakin’ Awesome is Al Foah’s baby brand,” says de Biase, adding it has a fun, creative, and youthful appeal. The snack-sized packaging and colorful design were chosen to attract consumers. “You can use it as an afternoon snack or pack it in a child’s backpack,” she explains. The sales strategy includes displays shaped like Arab tents in stores, featuring Abdul the Camel as a character promoting dates. Occasionally, the mascot comes to life through a performer dressed as a camel who roams the stores.
De Biase explains that the brand’s biggest challenge in Brazil is the lack of consumer knowledge about dates. While they were already present in gourmet chains, they are now even more visible, she says. For this reason, educating consumers at the point of sale is essential, and the brand will conduct more in-store tastings than originally planned, according to de Biase. Videos are also being made for Atacadão’s social media as part of an initiative to provide information to consumers.
“We want to make it so that even people from more modest means can understand a little about this fruit and change their eating habits at home. We want a child who craves something sweet to be able to afford a healthy treat like a date. They should be able to purchase a pack of dates, which is healthy and satisfies the craving for something sweet,” believes de Biase. “Being at Atacadão is a big challenge but also a huge opportunity to make dates become ingrained in Brazilian consumption,” she says, seeing the chain as a way to reach all types of consumers.
In addition to Atacadão, Freakin’ Awesome is available in other supermarkets in Brazil, such as Boa, Ricoy, and São Vicente. It also began being sold this week in eight Pão de Açúcar stores in São Paulo. “Other chains are already looking for the brand because they liked the colorful packaging and all,” says de Biase.
Date brand across South America
Julia de Biase is the owner of import company De Biasi & Presbiteris, which also deals other Arab products in Brazil, such as perfumes, cosmetics, and toiletry items. De Biase represents Al Foah across South America and has already opened the Bolivian market to the company’s dates. Currently, there are talks to export them to Chile and Uruguay.
