{"id":268164,"date":"2020-02-20T13:56:13","date_gmt":"2020-02-20T16:56:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/?p=268164"},"modified":"2020-02-20T17:00:05","modified_gmt":"2020-02-20T20:00:05","slug":"gulfood-2020-opened-doors-for-brazilians","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/gulfood-2020-opened-doors-for-brazilians\/","title":{"rendered":"Gulfood 2020 opened doors for Brazilians"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dubai \u2013 In the last day of the food and beverage show in Dubai, Gulfood, Brazilian companies showed positive results. Despite coronavirus, which caused several visitors from across the world, especially China, to not attend the event, the businesspeople reported that connections were more qualified and business prospection remained high.<\/p>\n

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In the stand, Ferraz’ networking notepad<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Golden Agri-Resources (GAR) executive Felipe Ferraz made more than 300 connections throughout the five-day show. \u201cI believe that, with the coronavirus, less onlookers came, so you waste less time with them and strike deals,\u201d the trader said. He sold sugar from Thailand to Ruanda. From Brazil, he\u2019s negotiating sugar exports to West Africa and met new and recurrent clients. Pictured above, Ferraz with his networking pad in the Arab Chamber stand.<\/em><\/p>\n

O Primo Log\u00edstica sales executive Andreas Merz believes the show was fruitful not just to meet clients his company already works with but to develop new deals. \u201cIt was surprising. We got new clients and around 30% of the deals we closed in the show were with Middle East-based companies, to transport sweets, candies and coffee,\u201d Merz said.<\/p>\n

According to him, the company came to Gulfood mostly to assess business between Brazil and Arabs but struck deals with other countries, too. \u201cWe signed with suppliers from Egypt to export pasta to Sub-Saharan Africa,\u201d he said. \u201cWe had less prospection and more people willing to close deals,\u201d he finished.<\/p>\n

Marcelo Turri, exports director at Dinda, a basic food basket company, said that he made 63 connections during the show. \u201cSome we already knew, and we also had new clients. I believe it was quite positive, but getting a business card and networking is just 20% of the work, so now we\u2019ll follow up to generate business in at least 90 days,\u201d he said. Dinda is a company of the Cotia Atlas group. Turri says it\u2019s already a strong brand in the African market, therefore it saw a larger demand than the healthy product line that Cotia Atlas brought to the Arab Chamber stand. \u201cBut closed our first sale of healthy products to the UAE, he said.<\/p>\n

NP Zanchetta Cerealista managing partner Caique Zanchetta said that he struck a deal with a new client from Palestine for 300 tonnes of peanuts and increased the volume exported to other clients he has worked before. \u201cWe made connections with several countries, such as Australia, Ukraine, Jordan, Spain, Portugal and Italy. Many came from Algeria and Russia to strike deals, and many competitors from India and Sudan passed by to share prices,\u201d he said. According to him, the show was great, despite having less visitors from Europe and China. \u201cThey didn\u2019t come because of the coronavirus. This was supposed to be packed with Chinese, but other countries came and yielded good deals. The show was great, and we\u2019ll come back next year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

(story continues after photo gallery)<\/em><\/p>\n