São Paulo – Date Crown dates, from United Arab Emirates-based producer Al Foah, are for sale in four states of Brazil and the Federal District. The product was launched officially in the Brazilian market this Wednesday (04) by entrepreneur Julia de Biase, in a lunch in which dishes with the fruits were offered.
The Al Foah dates arrived in Brazilian shelves in January of this year in Bahia, the Federal District, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte and São Paulo. According to Biase, the state of Minas Gerais will receive the dates soon. The dates can be found in natural products stores, emporiums and supermarkets.
Biase initially imported six tons of dates via her trading company De Biase & Presbiteris Ltda. And she’s planning to place another order soon. She’s optimistic about the dates sales in the Brazilian market and began an information campaign about the product, which is not very popular in the country.
Initially, two types of dates are being sold: Fard, which is less sweet and can be bought in packages of 250 grams and 500 grams, and Khalas, juicier and sold in Brazil in 1 kg packages. In the product line there’s also the dates syrup, considered to be the product’s “honey”.
According to Biase, dates are natural and organic, plus they don’t contain sugar, gluten or fat. They’re also halal, produced according to the Islamic requirements. The entrepreneur says that marketing actions in the Brazilian market have just began and that she plans to take the products not only to high-end consumers, but also to other classes. “I wish to reach all consumers,” she says.
Her plans include imports of other two types of dates – Al Foah produces eight types – and distribute them in Brazil along with apricot, pistachio and chocolate dates. Julia de Biase is the sales representative of the UAE company in South America and she plans to sell dates and the syrup in other countries of the region.
The official launching of the Date Crown dates in the Brazilian market took place in a lunch for the press at Clos Restaurante, in São Paulo, in which chef André Ahn offered a menu, from the appetizers and entrées to the main course and dessert, that had dates as an ingredient in all of the recipes. A dinner will be offered to business owners this Wednesday evening.
The general consul of the United Arab Emirates in São Paulo, Ibrahim Salem Alalawi, attended the launching and said that dates, in his country, mean not only a food, but a culture. He talked about a consumption that is passed on from generation to generation. “To bring dates is not only to bring a product, but also a culture,” he said, comparing the fact to the impression he had when he tasted açaí berry in Dubai.
Julia de Biase told the story of her entrepreneurship. She left behind a career in architecture when she began to import perfume from the Arab countries around nine years ago and founded Al Zahra, her trading company. When she got interested in trading dates, last year, Biase said that she decided to bring to Brazil the product of the “best company [of the sector] in the Eastern market”.
Contact:
Trading De Biase & Presbiteris Ltda
Phone: 55 11 99976-6502
Email: info@alfoahdates.com or juliadebiase@globo.com
Al Foah website: www.alfoah.com
Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
