São Paulo – Recipes made with olive oils and dates, such as cakes, hummus, baba ghanoush, yogurt, and even ice creams, were part of the menu at the “Gastronomic Immersion: Flavors of Tunisia” held on the morning of Friday (16) at the headquarters of the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC) in São Paulo. The event was organized by the ABCC with from the Embassy of Tunisia in Brasília and the Tunisian Export Promotion Center (Cepex).
The event was attended by of the ABCC, guests of the institution, organizers of the meeting, and Tunisian companies that participated earlier this week in the APAS Show food and beverage fair, also held in São Paulo. From Monday (12) to Thursday (15), these companies showcased their products at the exhibition, the largest in the sector in Brazil, in two booths organized by the ABCC, which also featured companies from Egypt and the United Arab Emirates.
The tasting session featured olive oil companies Oilyssa, Agroliva (with the Baya brand), Bulla Regia, Rivière D’Or, and Al Jazira, as well as Cure All & More, which did not attend APAS but had participated in this year’s Anuga Select Brazil. Date producers at the event included Nouri, Fit Dates, and Golden Export.
Before tasting the recipes, the approximately 80 participants attended the closing of a week of activities, featuring speeches by the Tunisian ambassador in Brasília, Nabil Lakhal, Cepex director Anis Basti, and the president of the ABCC, William Adib Dib Jr.
Lakhal emphasized the importance of the Brazilian market for Tunisian products and the opportunities that have opened up for olive oil with the reduction of import taxes on the product this year by the Brazilian government. Basti highlighted the significance of olive oils and dates as the main export products of the North African country.
Opportunities with Tunisia
At the end of the event, Dib told ANBA that the participation of Arab companies in the ABCC’s booths at APAS Show was “very significant” and a success, and that there is still plenty of opportunities to be tapped by both buyers and sellers. Regarding the tasting event promoted by the institution, he said it was an opportunity to showcase Arab products to Brazil.
“This meeting, where suppliers and buyers of such specific products come together at an important market moment with tariff reductions, crowns the success of this period of work that resulted in the fair and now in this business meeting,” he said. “There are many other business opportunities. This connection is the starting point for future deals,” he added.
In addition to Dib, the ABCC was represented at the event by its International Relations Vice President & Secretary-General Mohamad Mourad, Marketing Vice President Silvia Antibas, as well as former presidents and currently Board Osmar Chohfi and Rubens Hannun (who’s also honorary consul of Tunisia in São Paulo), and directors Alessandra Frisso, Renata Maron, and William Atui.
Read more:
Arab brands attracted buyers at APAS Show
Producers bring Tunisian olive oil to APAS Show
Dates: Brazil offers market potential
Translated by Guilherme Miranda
