São Paulo – Though not widely consumed in Brazil, the shawarma (boneless chicken) is very popular in the Arab countries. To take advantage of this market niche, Frango Bello, a poultry company based in Itaquiraí, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, began exporting the product to the Middle East in late 2010. Now, the region already accounts for 40% of its foreign sales.
“The Middle East is an interesting market, because we sell a higher value-added product than on the domestic market,” says Edson Rheinheimer, the company’s export manager. Frango Bello has existed since 2006 and also owns the Mais Frango brand, with a plant in Miraguai, in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, from where some of the vessels leave to the Arab countries.
The company began exporting to the region with Kuwait, and now it has clients in Jordan, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates. In the latter case, Frango Bello has maintained an average of eight 27-tonne containers of shawarma shipped per month since April. Chicken thigh is another product shipped by the company to the Arab countries.
Out of the 5,000 monthly tonnes of poultry produced by the company, 20% are exported, generating revenues ranging from US$ 3.5 million to US$ 4 million. According to Rheinheimer, the company is also seeking new clients in the Middle East. “We are pursuing an accreditation in order to export to Saudi Arabia,” he reveals.
At present, the company’s leading foreign market is Japan, which accounts for 55% of Frango Bello’s shipments. The company also sells to Kong, Cuba, Gabon, Ghana and Equatorial Guinea.
Contact
Frango Bello
Tel.: +55 67 3476-3400
E-mail: edson@frangobello.com.br
Site: www.frangobello.com.br
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
