Brazil, the world’s largest coffee producer, plans to further expand trading throughout the Middle East, with focus on major consumers such as the UAE. The country’s world-renowned coffee products will be showcased during “Flavours from Brasil,” a major Brazilian food and beverage trade event slated from February 21 to 22, 2009 at the Intercontinental Hotel – Festival City, Dubai, UAE.
Brazil’s processed coffees are exported either as ground beans ideal in the preparation of
espresso coffees, or in roasted and ground form to be prepared using cloth or paper filter bags or a percolator. These products are fully processed and packaged in Brazil using modern, practical and unique packages.
“Brazil’s dominance in coffee production and processing can be partly attributed to its development of advanced soil and seed technologies which have transformed the country’s wooded plains into fertile land. Brazil is also renowned for adopting sustainable agricultural production practices that do not compromise the environment. It is thus a perfect source of coffee for the Middle East, particularly the UAE where the commodity is consumed in large quantities and where environmental responsibility is strongly advocated,” said Juarez Leal, Project Manager, Flavours From Brasil.
Brazil’s coffee crop for 2008 is estimated at 46 million 60-kilogram bags, 9.9 million bags more than the previous year, representing a 27.5 per cent growth. The country’s 2007-2008 harvest is the second largest ever recorded after the 2002-2003 crop year,
which yielded 48.48 million bags. Brazil is also the second largest coffee market in the world, consuming around 18 million bags in 2008 for a per capita consumption of 5.64 kg. Aside from being the world’s top coffee exporter, Brazil is also the largest producer of sustainable coffee, which preserves the environment and provides income and social benefits for domestic workers and communities.
Brazilian roasting companies have been following the Programa de Qualidade do Café (Coffee Quality Program) concepts developed by the national entity representing the industry, in their manufacturing practices since 2004. This has helped expand Brazil’s domestic coffee market by 5 percent a year, well above the world average of between 1.5 and 2 percent, while ensuring the highest quality of coffee products.
The UAE is Brazil’s second largest coffee market in the Middle East, representing around 20 per cent of Brazil’s regional trade. “Flavours in Brasil” will include a dedicated area to highlight a variety of superior Brazilian natural, pulped natural and washed coffee products to UAE consumers and businesses. The show will also introduce a one-year program which will deploy coffee and other products from around 50 Brazilian food and beverage traders in major supermarkets throughout the Emirates and the Middle East. Businessmen who commit USD 1 million worth of product purchases under the initiative will receive up to USD 100,000 in promotional funding.
Independent Brazilian trade and investment promotion agency Apex-Brasil will coordinate with marketing and events specialist IFP Emirates in selecting around 40 major exporting companies to highlight their products during the event’s special business roundtable.
“The ‘Flavours from Brasil’ show provides an excellent opportunity for the UAE and the broader Middle East to solidify its food and beverage trading ties with Brazil. This event will particularly serve as a perfect platform for the region’s consumers to be acquainted with the numerous varieties of prime Brazilian coffee products, while Brazilian traders will have the chance to network with potential and existing partners and interact with
their target Arab consumers,” concluded Bassel Amaneddine, General Manager, IFP Emirates.
