São Paulo – Brazilians are already somewhat familiar with Syrian flavors through the Arab country’s traditional cuisine, but one exporting company wants to make Syrian chocolate popular among Brazilian consumers as well. The Rollana and Alvido chocolate brands, made in Syria, are being showcased at this edition of the APAS Show supermarket trade fair in São Paulo, at a space organized by the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC).
Rollana produces chocolate wafers and cream-filled chocolates in different flavors, sizes and packaging formats. “Our main product, our flagship item, is the coconut one, filled with milk cream and hazelnut,” the company’s sales director, Feras Al-Rifai, told ANBA, while also showcasing chocolate and peanut butter-filled bonbons at the company’s booth at APAS Show.
“We use top-quality raw materials sourced from all over the world. Each ingredient comes from a different country, and all of them are combined in Syria,” said Al-Rifai, who is presenting the chocolates alongside his colleague Ahmad Jabri, the company’s factory manager. The other brand Al-Rifai and Jabri are showcasing at APAS Show is Alvido, which produces filled wafer bars in different flavors.
Al-Rifai, who is Syrian, has lived in Brazil for six years and regularly attends trade fairs, although this is the first time the Syrian chocolate brands have been exhibited at APAS Show. “I know the market. I know how much Brazilians love chocolate. I know how they react when they find something good,” the executive said about the strong prospects he sees for the product, also mentioning market research conducted on Brazil.
“There is huge potential,” he said. He explained that whenever he travels to the Arab world, he brings the chocolates back to Brazil as gifts for his children. “When they go to school, they share them with their friends during recess. They take a kilo of Rollana and hand it out to their friends. The next day, the kids bring money thinking they can buy some. Everyone who tries it loves it,” he said.
The sales director’s goal is to find a distributor for the chocolates in Brazil. The products can be sold individually in retail, in assorted selections, or in larger quantities in colorful, well-presented boxes, including for gifting. The brands are positioned to reach consumers through specialty chocolate shops, supermarkets and online retail.
Around the world
The factories in Syria operate alongside trading company Ghelal Albaraka, headquartered in Saudi Arabia, from where the chocolates are distributed to several markets. The company also has a strong presence in Saudi Arabia, despite intense competition in the local chocolate market. “We hold a very large share of chocolate sales in the Saudi market. We trust our product. We are proud of it, and we are here to show the Brazilian people that Syria has many products to offer the world,” Al-Rifai said.
Rollana chocolates are currently sold in around 19 countries. The products are present in markets such as Chile, South Africa, Kenya, Libya, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Iraq, Syria and Jordan, among others. The products are not yet available in the Brazilian market, although agreements are underway. According to Al-Rifai, the goal is to expand into Latin America, starting with Brazil.
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Translated by Guilherme Miranda
