![](\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/imagens\/cod_717172.jpg\")
<\/p>\nDubai \u2013 Gulfood, the Middle East\u2019s biggest food and beverage show, which wrapped up this Thursday (22), should lead to USD 1.44 billion in deals for Brazilian companies in the next 12 months, according to the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil). The number is up roughly 25% from the USD 1.1 billion in deals stemming from the expo\u2019s 2017 edition.<\/p>\n
<<\/p>\n
While many of the Brazilian exhibitors took stock of their results on the show\u2019s final day, others worked through the last few hours to increase their contacts list or even strike new contracts. At the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce <\/strong>stand, Ostinato spent the day welcoming interested parties, and ended up returning to Brazil with an order for a container\u2019s worth of goods.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had been speaking with this company, which is from the UAE, since last year. We learned about them at Gulfood 2017 through a buyer of theirs at a B2B event organized by Apex, and we sent them a sample. Now, we have agreed on this container sale, which paves the way for new contracts,\u201d said L\u00facio Lima Neto, from Ostinato\u2019s export department, who\u2019d rather not name the client. \u201cIt\u2019s a big business,\u201d he revealed.<\/p>\n The product Ostinato\u2019s shipping is high-oil peanut. According to Lima Neto, Brumau, the manufacturer which Ostinato represents, did not work with this variety in the past, but now it has enough of it available that it can export.<\/p>\n Besides this order, Ostinato had at least 110 contacts that could lead to deals, not to mention those made on the last day \u2013 and the turnout was intense. \u201cAnd this was after a screening process, because we had many more people over. Good talks are ongoing with people from Saudi Arabia and the UAE,\u201d said Lima Neto.<\/p>\n Ostinato had been sending staff to Gulfood since 2015; this year, it decided to have a stand of its own. Sales and marketing manager Elaine Guerra said she intends to join the next edition as welel. One-on-one contact with Arab buyers and the support provided by the Arab Chamber were standout features, they said.<\/p>\n The Arab Chamber\u2019s board member, Mohamad Abdouni Neto, pointed out that Brazilian entrepreneurs must be persistent in their negotiations with Arabs. \u201cEmail is not that effective. The Arab likes to receive a call, to be visited, a more direct contact. It\u2019s important to persist in the negotiation, to continue to poke the Arab business owner. It\u2019s a minority those that come to Gulfood and is successful right away,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n Pleased with the results by the Arab Chamber\u2019s stand, which was visited by many clients, journalists and people prospecting deals, Abdouni Neto believes it\u2019s time to begin planning for the next edition. For the board member, the organization\u2019s stand needs to be even bigger.<\/p>\n Abdouni Neto also mentioned a conversation he had with a representative from Epic Credit Recoveries, from Bahrain. The company offers insurance for exports. According to the board member, talks will progress in the next few months, when representatives from Epic should visit the Arab Chamber seeking a partnership. To him, it\u2019s an important service that the organization could help promote.<\/p>\n Meats results<\/strong><\/p>\n < During the expo\u2019s five days, the stands of the Brazilian Animal Protein Association (ABPA) and the Brazilian Beef Exporters Association (ABIEC) served near 4,000 chicken shawarmas, 1,500 omelets and 1 tons of beef for tasting.<\/p>\n \u201cAs in all editions, this Gulfood was very positive, since it allowed for new deals and consolidated partnerships,\u201d said Ricardo Santin, vice president and markets director of ABPA. \u201cThis is our largest market and the fair has a crucial importance to us,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n To G\u00fcnther Thofehrn, ABIEC\u2019s technical analyst, the presence of the organization in the Dubai fair is essential from a commercial viewpoint. \u201cIt\u2019s a market that\u2019s in line with 90% of the Brazilian herd, by lean meat consumer profile,\u201d he said. \u201cWe established a foundation in the Arab market and we can\u2019t afford to not participate in the Gulfood,\u201d he explained, adding also that the expo attracts clients from other markets, such as India.<\/p>\n *Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum and S\u00e9rgio Kakitani<\/strong><\/p>\n![](\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/imagens\/cod_717173.jpg\")
<\/p>\n