Abu Dhabi – Pre-shaped tapioca sold by foreign trade company AE Negócios Internacionais and açaí smoothies by ABN8 Trading made it to the finals for the SIAL Innovation award at SIAL Middle East, the trade show that ran from Monday (10) to Wednesday (12) in Abu Dhabi, the UAE. The two companies were part of a group of 14 Brazilian exhibitors at a space organized by the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply.
The pre-shaped tapioca by brand Da Terra was brought to the expo by AE Negócios Internacionais requires only heating in a microwave oven. before consumption. The Natal, Rio Grande do Norte-based company also brought typical Brazilian items like regular tapioca flour, cashew nut and cashew nut paste, açaí and fleur de sal – salt crystals handpicked from the ocean and mostly used as a finish for dishes.
In the final hours of the trade show, AE Negócios Internacionais partner Cibelle Bastos was gleeful about the award and the results obtained. Cibelle got deals well underway with importers from the UAE and India. Now it’s just a matter of discussing pricing with her suppliers. The foreign trade company joined B2B sessions arranged by the expo’s organizers, and according to Cibelle, that’s where 80% of visits came from that.
Besides being a trading company, ABN8 carries products of its own. It has created a specific brand for the Middle East – Brazilian Habibi – whose items include the açaí drink shortlisted for the award finals. Also on offer from Brazilian Habibi are frozen açaí cream with strawberry, banana or guaraná, and coconut water. The company has an office in Dubai’s Jebel Ali Free Zone and a license to import and export in the UAE, according to ABN8 Trading foreign trade executive Nader Khorrami (pictured at the beginning of this article).
Khorrami explains that the company used to ship açaí to the UAE in the past. It joined SIAL Middle East to seek new opportunities. He says that although contacts made at the expo weren’t many, all were interesting. Khorrami believes actual deals will come from those talks, especially for açaí sales. ABN8 Trading is based in São Paulo.
The Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply organized the Brazilian participation in the trade show with support from the Ministry of Foreign Relations, the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) and the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce.
Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum
