São Paulo – Dates produced in the United Arab Emirates began to be sold this week, as of Tuesday (3), at the Carrefour supermarket chain in Brazil. Products are from the Date Crown brand by Al Foah, which sees the possibility of vast expansion of consumption among Brazilians with the entry of fruits into the largest retail network in the country.
At Carrefour, dates are sold in special packages, with labels in Portuguese and Arabic, in sizes of 250 grams and 450 grams, according to information from Al Foah’s representative in Brazil, businesswoman Julia de Biase (pictured above). According to Biase, the company delivered a container with 42,000 packages to the retail chain, and Carrefour has already requested an upcoming order of the same size. All dates are of the Khalas variety.
Date Crown has been present in the Brazilian market since 2017. The brand’s products can be found mainly in emporiums, natural houses, and small and medium-sized supermarkets in Brazil, in the states of São Paulo, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, and the Federal District. It is the first time they are marketed at Carrefour.
In an email interview with ANBA, Al Foah informed this is a big step in the aggressive growth plan the brand has for Brazil and Latin America, through which it intends to take the natural benefits of the superfood to more people in the region. The company believes marketing at Carrefour’s points of sale will give access to the product to more Brazilian consumers.
Currently, Al Foah ships less than 1,000 tonnes of products a year to Brazil, but it realizes volumes are growing steadily, and the market can absorb much more. The Emirati company sees Brazil with the potential to consume up to 10,000 tonnes a year of its products by 2025. In addition to dates, Al Foah also exports honey and date paste to the Brazilian market.
Date suppliers such as Al Foah face an additional market challenge in Brazil: Providing consumers with knowledge about the product since the fruit is not usually part of the Brazilian diet. Al Foah reported although dates have roots in the Middle East, they have already gained worldwide recognition, and Brazil is no exception.
However, the company intends to increase this knowledge base among Brazilians through strategic partnerships such as Carrefour and its presence in digital spaces such as Instagram @Datecrown.latam and other education and market development initiatives to be implemented soon.
Brand
Julia de Biase started to bring awareness to the product when she began selling dates from the UAE in Brazil five years ago. Initially, she imported and distributed products, but about a year and a half ago, she became the official representative of Al Foah in the country, intermediating business between the company and Brazilians. Biase, however, will continue importing to meet smaller orders from companies that do not have demand for a full container.
She stated her work has been towards establishing a date brand in Brazil. “Dates are considered almost like a commodity,” she said, noting at most they are known among Brazilians by the countries from which they originate. The businesswoman seeks to make consumers aware dates are different from each other and learn about the quality of Date Crown products. “That is how they are known in the Middle East, North Africa, Asia, and Oceania,” said Biase.
Contact:
Email: info@alfoahdates.com
Phone: +55 (11) 99976-6502 or +55 (11) 3857-7523
Al Foah website
Translated by Elúsio Brasileiro
