Page 43 - brazil18

The FHA – Food and Hotel Asia –
is the largest trade show along paste, powder, juice or other formats.
Asia’s southern fringe relating Other products that drew attention were
to food, beverages and related
equipment. In keeping with the massive
120,000 sqm space of FHA occupying all
10 halls of the Singapore Expo complex
plus an overflow into a section of the
Suntec Exhibition Centre, in April this
year, Brazil featured at the exhibition a
commensurately sizeable 90 sqm pavilion,
congregating over a dozen companies
in the largest display ever of Brazilian
products at this fair that already spans
four decades. The Trade Section of the
Embassy and the Ministry of Agriculture,
Livestock and Food Supply co-organised
the Brazilian participation in a national
pavilion in this event that gathered nearly
4000 other exhibitors and saw a turnout
of close to 82,000 visitors.
Diversity of Products
The green-clad Brazilian space at the show
featured a range of products as diverse
as the country itself, from the colder
highlands and valleys of the far south
to the sweltering equatorial greenery of
the Amazon in the north, along with the
cattle-rich hinterlands of central Brazil
and the wealth of Brazil’s coastal regions.
Needless to say, Brazilian cuts and
processed products made from chicken,
pork and bovine meats dominated parts of
the pavilion’s make-up. Brazil remains the
lead supplier of these items to Singapore
(see accompanying story next page), but
there was much more to be seen. Various
beverages were on display, from coffee to
yerba-mate (MAH-tey) herbal tea, as well
as from juices, through to canned guaraná
fizzy, and on to Brazilian wine and cachaça,
the typical national spirit made from sugar
cane.
Another strong presence came from the
exporters of açaí, the powerful antioxidant
berry that is now all the rage in health-
conscious circles, and is available in pulp,
the vegetable oils, cocoa extracts, guaraná
powder, Brazil nuts, chia seeds, heart of
palm, honey/propolis extract, various
flavours of biscuits, confectionery and
bakery products, along with many more
wonders of the agribusiness and food-
Mr. Gopi Nathan, from Garnet & Peridot,
showcased Brazilian wine and other
national beverages
processing sector of Brazil. Along the
exhibitors, there was even a manufacturer
of machinery for mixing, forming and
encrusting pastries.
However, the Brazil pavilion would not
claim to represent every single Brazilian
exhibitor at the fair. Brazilian outfit for
produce from the Amazon forest, Selvá
Food, based in Singapore, set up its
own booth at the exhibition, in order to
showcase – you’ve guessed it - its native
Amazon açaí pulps and pastes. Hailing
from southern Brazil, Tramontina, a global
leader in the manufacturing of steel
kitchenware, displayed at its own space
its array of BBQ and kitchen knives, grills, country pavilion.
cingapura.itamaraty.gov.br
TRADE SHOWS
pans, pots and other fine metal wares, at
the section of FHA devoted to utensils,
implements, devices, etc.
Strength of National
Display
Visitors were suitably impressed by the
strength of the national display and were
able to sample and taste for themselves
various food items and beverages.
Prospective contacts were initiated and
a number of agreements, partnerships
and deals were closed between Asian
importers and the Brazilian executives,
constituting an overall positive outcome
for the exhibitors who put a huge effort
by bringing their items and expertise
from the opposite side of the globe
for this event. FHA also encompasses
conferences, lectures, culinary contests,
wine tasting and more occasions for
networking, though the Brazilians were
so engrossed in the numerous queries
and dealings with operators that many
a side event had to be ignored for the
time being, such was the success of the
Being a biennial event, the next edition
of FHA is set for the turn of the decade,
in 2020. As an oversized event that now
exceeds the capacity of the showgrounds
available in Singapore, it is to be split into
two separate events in distinct weeks of
March 2020, the FHA Food & Beverage
on the one hand and, on the other hand,
the FHA HoReCa, i.e. geared to equipment
and services for hotels, restaurants
and catering. The Trade Section of the
Embassy envisages an effort to make
the Brazilian presence even bigger than
in 2018, by adding more companies and
variety to the mix. As the saying goes,
the more the merrier – and the tastier
the experience will be for all those who
know how to appreciate the marvels
and quality of Brazilian produce and
culinary treats.
It’s time for Brazil in Singapore 41