São Paulo – The APAS Show supermarket trade fair ended on Thursday (15) in the city of São Paulo after four busy days, with strong visitor turnout at booths showcasing Arab products. Fifteen companies from Egypt, Tunisia, and the United Arab Emirates exhibited in spaces organized by the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC).
“The fair was very crowded, very well attended, and we can see that business took place,” said the president of the ABCC, William Adib Dib Jr., to ANBA after following the Arab participation in the event. “The exhibitors praised it and said the business atmosphere was very good,” he said.
The secretary-general & vice president of international relations at the ABCC, Mohamad Mourad, shares a similar view. “The fair was busier than last year’s; we saw a higher flow of people—it was harder to move around because the aisles were crowded,” he said. Mourad emphasized that the ABCC achieved 100% occupancy in the booths it organized.
He received positive from the Arab exhibitors about the fair and highlights the quality products that companies from the region showcased. “Egypt is very strong in frozen goods, and Tunisia excels in dates and olive oil,” he says. Mourad also notes that Egypt is the world’s largest exporter of frozen strawberries, a product the country exhibited at the fair and that is already present in Brazil, along with Egyptian frozen vegetables.
The Honorary Consul of Tunisia in São Paulo and member of the Board of the ABCC, Rubens Hannun, views the consistent participation of Arab companies at the fair as very positive.
“For consecutive years, I’ve been seeing something very interesting at APAS Show—the repeated participation of Arab companies. They’re coming for the third, fourth time, showing that this fair, especially for Tunisian products, has been very successful.”
Hannun believes this signals that Brazilian consumers are liking and becoming more open to Arab products. “Otherwise, the companies wouldn’t come back,” he says. The honorary consul highlights that this year one of the Arab exhibitor companies was from the service sector, the UAE’S TIC Quality Control, specializing in certification of procedures and quality control.
ABCC Marketing Vice President Silvia Antibas also highlights the continued presence of Arab brands at APAS Show. “The Arab exhibitors here have already participated in previous editions. It shows confidence in the fair, confidence in the ABCC, and in the structure we set up for them,” she says. One of the directors of the ABCC who visited the event, Lourenço Chohfi Neto, says the fair is a major showcase for Arab products. “The entire market is here, so you have to be here,” he said.
Director Claudia Yazigi Haddad, who also attended the fair, points out the event’s significance. “APAS Show is a huge success with the public. Our are very happy because they get great . A happy customer makes the ABCC happy, and that makes me happy too,” she said. Besides the ABCC’s leaders, the space organized by the institution on Thursday was visited by the Consul of the UAE in São Paulo, Abdalla Shaheen, who was welcomed by Mourad.
One of the few Arab exhibitors making its debut in the ABCC’s space at APAS Show, Tunisian olive oil exporter Bulla Regia, said it was impressed by the size of the fair and the quality of visitors from supermarkets, importers, and distributors. Serving markets across all five continents, the company recognizes the importance of Brazil.
““Although we’ve been selling to Brazil for only about three years, this consumer has already become important to us. In fact, it’s now our second-largest buyer, behind only the United States,” said Bulla Regia’s Marketing Manager Fahd Ameur in an interview with ANBA.
Aware of the health benefits of extra virgin olive oil, Brazil is becoming a strategic market for the company. “At the fair, we met some new clients and confirmed new orders with our existing customers. Besides Brazilians, we also spoke with many Argentinians,” he adds.
Those familiar with Arab products from the perspective of the Brazilian market attest to the growing importance they have been gaining. Adrielle Melero, Risk Management Analyst at São Paulo food supply center Ceagesp says that the Arab presence at the fair is an opportunity for companies to have direct with Ceagesp concessionaires, avoiding middlemen. Concessionaires are the companies that hold spaces to sell products at Ceagesp.
Ceagesp, which is a major center for food storage, distribution, and marketing in Brazil, brings its concessionaires to visit the APAS Show. The company was also an exhibitor at the event. Melero visited the Arab booth, talking with Tunisian companies supplying dates, a product sold at Ceagesp. “It’s a very fresh product, of high quality, with a very sweet and pleasant taste,” she told ANBA.
Read more:
Egyptian companies reap results at APAS Show
Rebecca Vettore contributed
