São Paulo – After becoming the leading supplier of dates to Brazil, Tunisians now want to gain prominence in olive oil sales to the country as well. Seeking growth in both products, Tunisia is showcasing its strongest-ever presence at this year’s APAS Show supermarket trade fair. “This year Tunisia has its largest participation, with 16 companies,” Atef Ghariani, director of Financial and Administrative Affairs at the Tunisian Export Promotion Center (Cepex), also known as Tunisia Export, told ANBA.
Tunisian companies are exhibiting dates and olive oils at the event in an initiative led by Cepex and the Tunisian Embassy in Brazil, in a space organized by the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC). According to Ghariani, this is Tunisia’s seventh participation in APAS Show. The trade fair opened on Monday (18) and runs through Thursday (21) at Expo Center Norte in São Paulo. Ghariani is representing Cepex at the event alongside the institution’s director, Hela Ammar.
Hassan Al-Saadani, Head of Tunisia’s Trade and Consular Office in São Paulo, says this is also the largest participation ever by an Arab and African country at APAS Show. He attributes the interest to Brazil’s status as an emerging market in which Tunisians see the need to establish a presence. He recalled Tunisia’s success with dates and believes dates and olive oil will also open the doors of the Brazilian market to other food products from his country.
“Tunisia is the largest supplier of dates to Brazil,” says Al-Saadani. Last year, the country exported USD 5 million worth of the fruit to Brazil, nearly double the amount shipped by second-place United Arab Emirates and well ahead of Saudi Arabia, Israel and Iran, which ranked third, fourth and fifth, respectively, according to data compiled by the ABCC. “We will bring other products, such as sardines, tuna and peppers,” Al-Saadani says about plans to expand food supplies to Brazil.
Tunisia is not Brazil’s leading olive oil supplier, but it is among the main ones. According to data from the Arab-Brazilian Chamber, Tunisians were Brazil’s sixth-largest olive oil supplier in 2025, with USD 8.4 million in exports. Ghariani noted that Tunisian olive oil has won several awards worldwide for its quality and is already well established in Europe. “Now we want to increase exports to Brazil,” he said.
The director believes participation in APAS Show is an opportunity for Tunisian companies to build direct relationships with Brazilian importers and position themselves in other Latin American markets. The goal is for Tunisian brands to use Brazil as a gateway to reach other countries in the region as well. Like Al-Saadani, Ghariani is already thinking about the next steps in Tunisia’s trade with Brazil, planning to introduce new products made in his country.
At APAS Show, one of the exhibitors already contributing to Tunisia’s olive oil exports to Brazil is Bizerta Agri Industry, which markets the Oilyssa and Orolio brands. The company has been selling its olive oils to the Brazilian market for nearly two years, according to information CEO Amine Sifaoui gave ANBA. He said the company currently supplies supermarkets in Rio de Janeiro and is expanding into other regions of Brazil through new partnerships.
“Brazil is very interesting for us because it’s a large market. Consumption in Brazil is similar to that of France, for example. It is larger than Japan’s, larger than Canada’s. So it is a very, very interesting market, and the culture of olive oil consumption is becoming more and more popular year after year,” said Sifaoui. This is Bizerta’s second participation in APAS Show as an exhibitor. The company produces conventional and organic olive oils and exports to 25 countries across all continents.
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Translated by Guilherme Miranda
