São Paulo – Uyuni, a small Brazilian company that industrialises organic products like granola, cookies and cereal bars, is in the initial phase of negotiations with Al Yasra Food Company, a large importer and distributor from Kuwait, which has just established an arm for natural and organic products and supplies several countries in the Middle East.
According to the director at Uyuni, Rafael Souza, the contact with the distributor from Kuwait was through the company site. "They discovered us. Then we started sending price estimates and samples. In November last year, Al Yasra exhibited our products at Menop, a food sector fair in Dubai," explained Souza. "Acceptance was great. So much so that they are now going to meet us at Biofach Germany so that we may proceed with the negotiations. The first orders should be closed between April and May," he said. Biofach takes place from February 19th to 22nd, in Nuremberg.
Apart from that, the Uyuni products should be exhibited at the Al Yasra stand at Gulfood, the largest food sector fair in the Middle East, to take place from February 23rd to 26th this year, also in Dubai. "We are very optimistic with regard to the business opportunities that this distributor may guarantee to our products in all the countries of the region," said the businessman.
Uyuni contacts with the foreign market are not limited just to the Arab countries. "We are also negotiating with importers from Spain and Italy and, during Biofach, we should have meetings with buyers from France and England," he pointed out.
The company was established five years ago, but started its internationalisation process last year, with the launch of four products that, according to Souza, are already ready and certified for the foreign market: granola, chocolate and vanilla cookies, cereal bars and quinoa.
Quinoa, explained Souza, is a highly nutritious cereal, considered a single and complete food by the World Health Organisation (WHO). According to him, Uyuni imports on average 35 tonnes of cereal from Bolivia every month. Quinoa may be consumed in grain, flakes and flour.
On the domestic market, Uyuni, which employs 12 people, works mainly with supermarket chains and natural product shops. There are around 1,000 clients and approximately 1,500 points of sale all around Brazil.
Contact
Telephone: (+55 11) 3063-4007
E-mail: rafael@quinuareal.com.br
Site: www.quinuareal.com.br
*Translated by Mark Ament
