Spotlight: Brazilian entrepreneurs look to China expo to bolster businesses

0 Comment(s)Print E-mail Xinhua, October 30, 2020
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SAO PAULO, Oct. 29 (Xinhua) -- A growing number of Brazil's agro-industry entrepreneurs are eyeing opportunities from the Chinese market as the world's second largest economy gets ready to host a key expo.

Brazilian maker of organic tropical fruit juices DNA Forest is eager to expand its business to the "other side of the world" by taking part in the upcoming China International Import Expo (CIIE).

"It is a great opportunity for our company that a fair like the CIIE can be open to our products," its marketing analyst Marcos Antunes told Xinhua. The third edition of the CIIE is to take place on Nov. 5-10 in Shanghai.

With the aim of attracting China's health conscious consumers, it plans to showcase its line of frozen and organic juice bars, which are 100 percent natural, free of preservatives and certified environmentally and socially sustainable, said Antunes.

Founded in 2019, DNA Forest specializes in exotic fruit juices from the Amazonian region.

The company will also present cheese bread, a typical Brazilian snack, and specialty coffee, but the star products are juices made of acai, a small berry rich in nutrients and antioxidants, and cupuacu, a fiber-rich white cocoa.

The company focuses on people looking for healthy options as it claims to have an innovative production process superior to the production of frozen pulp, said Antunes.

Brazil's coffee industry, the world's No. 1 producer and exporter of the bean, is also drumming up business in China's traditionally tea-drinking market, said Nelson Carvalhaes, president of the Brazilian Coffee Exporters Council (Cecafe).

Brazilian coffee companies of all sizes took part in the first CIIE in 2018, participated again in 2019 and are registered to showcase their products at the upcoming third CIIE.

Cecafe, with the support of the Brazilian embassy in Beijing, has designed a 2021 publicity campaign that aims to provide Chinese cafes and supermarkets with the material they need to promote Brazilian coffee to their customers.

"Our idea is to supply Brazilian coffee to coffee shops in China, to make the product known to consumers through educational material and certificates of origin. We have video and magazine production to explain the path of Brazilian coffee to the cup," Carvalhaes said.

Brazil accounts for some 38 percent of the global coffee market. China has been Brazil's main trading partner since 2009 and agricultural goods have been driving Brazilian exports to the Asian country.

Minerva Foods, a Brazil-headquartered leading beef producer and exporter, hopes to continue expanding its sales in the fast-growing Chinese market, Celia Sampaio, director responsible for the multinational's beef exports, said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

"It should be noted that the CIIE is the first world fair dedicated to imports, so leading companies from countries have the opportunity to do business at the event," she said.

The company has taken part in the first and second editions of the expo, where it has gained "extremely positive experiences that gave us a better understanding of the Chinese market, as well as a (chance to) approach several clients," the director recalled, expecting the fair to bring new business opportunities to her company.

"Through our geographic diversification, which includes seven plants authorized to export beef to China in Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay, we understand that we are well positioned to meet the demand for our product in the Chinese market," she added.

Selling its products to more than 100 countries, the multinational company accounts for about 20 percent of all meat exported from South America. It also has operations in the meat processing industry and live cattle exports.

The CIIE "helps diversify and add value to Brazil's export pattern, which is still focused on primary products. It is a good opportunity to develop Brazilian brands and learn about Chinese consumer trends," said Kevin Tang, executive director of the Brazil-China Chamber.

Tang has participated in the two previous editions of the expo, which draws exporters from around the globe keen to cater to China's growing consumption needs.

"China is indisputably important for Brazil. Being its largest trading partner and given the increasing focus on growth based on domestic consumption, China's imports will be an important vector of Brazilian growth," said the trade expert. Enditem

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