{"id":307126,"date":"2022-02-13T17:30:34","date_gmt":"2022-02-13T20:30:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/do-para-para-dubai-brasileiros-mostram-as-origens-do-acai\/"},"modified":"2022-02-15T17:49:40","modified_gmt":"2022-02-15T20:49:40","slug":"from-para-to-dubai-brazilians-show-origins-of-acai-berry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/from-para-to-dubai-brazilians-show-origins-of-acai-berry\/","title":{"rendered":"From Par\u00e1 to Dubai: Brazilians show origins of a\u00e7a\u00ed berry"},"content":{"rendered":"

S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 A\u00e7a\u00ed berry<\/strong> is the flagship of the Brazilian space at Gulfood 2022<\/strong>. More than that, the fruit is brought as a national symbol of the country. The unique strategy for the Amazonian fruit was devised by the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex-Brasil) this year to link its image to the country. The show is taking place in Dubai until February 17 and is the most considerable for the sector in the entire Middle East. Pictured above, a\u00e7a\u00ed berries.<\/em><\/p>\n

Despite gaining the taste of the Gulf, consumers in the region are still not sure about the origins of the product, which has its roots in the Amazon region. \u201cA\u00e7a\u00ed is a typical Brazilian product, which many consumers still do not associate with the country. So, we have to work on that image. And it is a product that undergoes an interesting improvement until it reaches the final consumer. It is an excellent example of a fruit which achieved a fascinating advance in exports, including to the MENA region,\u201d pointed out the COO of the Apex-Brasil office for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), Karen Jones.<\/p>\n

Origins<\/strong><\/p>\n

The production of at least three of the companies exhibiting at Gulfood comes from the state of Par\u00e1. Par\u00e1<\/strong> is the main a\u00e7a\u00ed producing state in the country and has doubled its production from 2009 to 2019, according to data from the Brazilian National Supply Company (CONAB).<\/p>\n

In the country\u2019s northern region, a\u00e7a\u00ed is a staple food in meals such as lunch and dinner. In other regions of Brazil and abroad, the fruit began to be consumed mainly as a dessert or a healthy energy source.<\/p>\n

Where it came from and where it is going<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"
Petruz is a family company that produces and exports a\u00e7a\u00ed<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Among the brands from Par\u00e1 already present in Dubai is Petruz Fruity<\/strong>. Founded in 1982 in the municipality of Castanhal, the company has been exporting since 2006. It already sells to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, and more traditional fruit destinations such as the United States and European Union. With the participation in Gulfood, the company hopes to double its sales.<\/p>\n

As one of the veterans in the market, Petruz followed the growth in demand for the fruit in the Gulf. \u201cInitially, people looked at the fruit, the color, and said, \u2018what is this?\u2019 Today, the popularity of a\u00e7a\u00ed has grown a lot. People now understand this is a superfood, which is healthy for us and the Amazon rainforest,\u201d explained Martin Chavez, international director of the brand.<\/p>\n

Also based in Castanhal, Xingu Fruit<\/strong> wants to open a market in the UAE for its brand. Although it already has its raw material in the Arab country\u2019s market through a private label, Xingu still does not have its brand stamping items on supermarket shelves or local coffee shops. \u201cThe company opened in 2017, but the owner already had a great knowledge of the a\u00e7a\u00ed market, and we have already started exporting,\u201d says Suany Gomes, the brand\u2019s export manager.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Xingu a\u00e7a\u00ed continues to have Brazil as its primary market<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Today, Xingu sells 25% of its a\u00e7a\u00ed abroad, and the domestic market purchases the other 75%. \u201cWe supply virtually all Brazilian states. Brazil is still the biggest market for a\u00e7a\u00ed, and we observe around 40% to 50% growth every year,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

The company has participated in the show for four years and is now looking to open businesses to sell pulp and a\u00e7a\u00ed sorbet. \u201cWe have great growth expectations, and we can even see them through Gulfood itself. Last year, we came, but the show was quite different. I think with things coming back to normal a little more, this will be much more positive for us,\u201d she concluded.<\/p>\n

Fast A\u00e7a\u00ed<\/strong>, on the other hand, is headquartered in the Brazilian Midwest but also has production coming from Par\u00e1. \u201cWe are in Goi\u00e2nia, and we have a partner company in Bel\u00e9m, which extracts the fruit and processes it,\u201d said Walesca Rocha, the brand\u2019s foreign trade manager.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Fast A\u00e7a\u00ed has stores all over Brazil<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In addition to its product, the enterprise makes custom ones for other brands and has around 200 franchise units all over Brazil. For six years, the company has been exporting to markets like the United States, Angola, and South Africa. \u201cWe have a strategic expansion plan here in the UAE for this year, and that is our goal at the show,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

For Rocha, a\u00e7a\u00ed is already in the minds of consumers in different countries, but in its own way in each one. \u201cIt really depends on the location. In California, for example, they know a\u00e7a\u00ed is a Brazilian product and its properties and that it is a meal replacement. In South Africa, a\u00e7a\u00ed is seen as a combo, for example, a salad and a bowl of a\u00e7a\u00ed,\u201d she explained regarding consumption of the Brazilian product abroad.<\/p>\n

In addition to other a\u00e7a\u00ed companies at the Brazil Pavilion, Tropicool<\/strong><\/a> is also at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce<\/strong> (ABCC) booth. The Brazilian company is already in the Arab market and even has a kiosk in the world\u2019s largest shopping mall, Dubai Mall.<\/p>\n

Quick facts:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Gulfood 2022
\n<\/em>February 13 to 17, 2022
\nWTC, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
\nMore info: https:\/\/www.gulfood.com\/<\/a><\/p>\n

Translated by El\u00fasio Brasileiro<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a9Tarso Sarraf\/AFP<\/div>\n
Thais Sousa\/ANBA<\/div>\n
Thais Sousa\/ANBA<\/div>\n
Thais Sousa\/ANBA<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A global showcase for several products, the Gulfood show serves as a platform for associating the berry\u2019s image to its country of origin, Brazil.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2324,"featured_media":307113,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[102,107,114],"tags":[9978,28239,28267,3243,28278,13793,9820,9673,23496,6182,28268,28279,28269,10132,6689,28277,28270,21833,28271,28272,28273,28274,28276,13955,28184,28275],"class_list":{"0":"post-307126","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-agribusiness","8":"category-business-opportunities","9":"category-news","10":"tag-acai-en","11":"tag-acai-brasileiro-en","12":"tag-alimento-en","13":"tag-amazon","14":"tag-amazon-region","15":"tag-amazonia-en","16":"tag-apex-brasil-en","17":"tag-arab-brazilian-chamber-en","18":"tag-brazilian-acai","19":"tag-consumer","20":"tag-consumidor-en","21":"tag-dessert","22":"tag-fast-acai-en","23":"tag-food-en","24":"tag-gulfood","25":"tag-meal","26":"tag-petruz-en","27":"tag-rainforest","28":"tag-refeicao-en","29":"tag-regiao-amazonica-en","30":"tag-sobremesa-en","31":"tag-superalimento-en","32":"tag-superfood","33":"tag-tropicool-en","34":"tag-tropicool-en-2","35":"tag-xingu-fruit-en"},"wps_subtitle":"A global showcase for several products, the Gulfood show serves as a platform for associating the berry\u2019s image to its country of origin, Brazil.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/307126","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2324"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=307126"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/307126\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/307113"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=307126"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=307126"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=307126"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}