3 February 2006 - Group GPS, from the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, is going to send a trader on a trip to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Egypt. He is going to seek distributors for products like lollipops, coffee, chocolate drinks and powdered drinks. This year the company intends to promote four trips to the Middle East and North Africa with the objective of guaranteeing entry into markets in the region.
São Paulo - To guarantee the opening of markets in the Middle East and North Africa, group GPS Gestão Empresarial, based in the city of Jaraguá do Sul, in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina, is investing heavily in trips and in participation in fairs in the region. On February 15, the company trader, Reyadh Nassir Hanna, will be travelling to the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Egypt. The trip is going to take approximately 30 days. Between seven and eight distributors will be visited in each country.
According to Reyadh, the conquest of the Arab market is a priority for the group, which is responsible for the administration of two food companies, Sasse, which produces sweets, lollipops and coffee and Bretzke, which produces powdered drinks, jelly, cake mixes, powdered drinks, seasonings and condiments. "To guarantee market prospecting in the main countries we travel to the region around four times a year. Each one lasting around one month," he explained.
In May, Sasse and Bretzkie products will be exhibited in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, at the fair considered the most important food fair in the region, Saudi Food, which from this year on will be renamed Arabian Food. Participation will be at the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce stand.
In the month of August, Reyadh will spend one month visiting distributors in Lebanon, Kuwait and Egypt. In September he will be participating in Damascus International Fair, in Syria, a multisector event that will also include a stand by the Arab Brazilian Chamber.
Both of the companies already export. Sasse exports to Mauritania, Senegal, Gabon, Namibia, Botswana, Kenya, Mongolia, Hungary, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Panama, Uruguay, Paraguay and New Zealand. And Bretzke exports to the United States and to the countries in Central and South America.
Sasse
Sasse was established in 1953 as a small family company producing sweets. The production process was totally manual. The sweets, which at the beginning were sold only in the city, started gaining preference among more and more consumers.
Little by little, the company became better structured, hiring professionals and investing in its industrial park and also started producing lollipops. Soon Sasse products started being consumed all around Brazil. In 1964, Sasse acquired a coffee toaster and, betting on the field, built new installations in 1965. Nowadays Sasse employs 250 people and produces around 1,000 tonnes of foods a month.
Bretzke
Bretzke is also a family company. It was established in 1964 to produce jelly, flans, puddings, cake mixes, seasoning, condiments and powdered drinks. The company production is turned both to the Brazilian and foreign market.
Undergoing a constant internationalisation process, Bretzke already counts on good experience on the foreign market. The monthly production capacity at the company, which employs 210 people, is 1,000 tonnes of food.
Geovana Pagel
Translated by Mark Ament