Iraqis Eating Brazilian Cheese

Polenguinho cheese, a well-known appetizer in Brazil, can now also be found on the shelves of grocer stores and supermarkets in Iraq. Polenghi has been exporting the product since last year.

From January 2004 to February this year, according to figures supplied by the Foreign Trade Secretariat (Secex), the company shipped around 168 tons of the cheese to the Arab country. The practical appeal of the cheese – which is sold in 20-gram packages – is one of the main factors.


Contact with Iraqi distributors was through France. Polenghi is part of French group Bongrain, a world leader in the fine cheese sector.


“The company has managers for each region of the world, and they are in charge of identifying business opportunities for the group. The people in the Middle East noticed that there was space for Polenguinho in Iraq,” stated Leonardo Bonaparte, the export manager of Polenghi Brazil.


New Packages


Good acceptance of the product made the group invest in promotion of the cheese in the region. The company is working on new packages with information in Arabic.


Up to now, all the information was in English. “In the May shipping, Polenguinho should be wearing ‘new clothes’,” stated Maria Eugênia Rodrigues, a company export sector advisor.


Transport of Polenguinho is by ship, in cold storage containers. The product takes around 45 days to reach its destination, Baghdad. From there, according to Bonaparte, it is distributed to other Iraqi cities.


The company intention is to enter other Arab countries this year. “Iraq is a door of entry into the Middle East for our product,” stated Bonaparte.


Bongrain


The Bongrain group exports dairy products to various Arab countries. Fine cheeses are responsible for 60% of company revenues. Last year, the group had revenues of 4.128 million euros – growth of 3.1% against the 2003 result.


Bongrain has been operating in Brazil since 1975. The country was the first, outside France, to receive a subsidiary. In the 1980’s, the company started an expansion process, buying important Brazilian cheese brands, such as Polenghi, Skandia and Campo Lindo.


Bongrain
www.bongrain.com


ANBA – Brazil-Arab News Agency
www.anba.com.br

Tags:

You May Also Like

Brazil Vows Better Help to 3 Million Working Children and Their Families

Brazil’s Program for the Eradication of Child Labor (Peti) will be incorporated into the ...

After 44 Back-to-back Days of Rain São Paulo Goes in State of Attention

São Paulo city, in the Brazilian Southeast, had today its 44th consecutive day of ...

Brazil Invites Mexico to Create a Trade Bloc with Global Ambitions

Brazilian President, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has invited Mexico to join South America ...

For Brazilians, Vote Buying Scandal Is Just Politics as Usual, Shows Poll

Most Brazilians associate the recent charges and investigations of federal government corruption with the ...

For Brazil to Engage Iran Is Not as Foolish as It Seems

On May 15th, 2010, president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil met with ...

Brazil and Latin America Gather in Spain for Summit

Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva arrived today in the Portuguese city of ...

Ziraldo's O Menino Maluquinho

Brazil’s Ziraldo Adds Arab Character to His Cartoon Universe

O Menino Maluquinho (The Nutty Boy), a character created by writer and cartoonist Ziraldo ...

Tired of China’s Whims Brazil Decides to Add More Value to Its Raw Minerals

The Brazilian government has just announced an overhaul of the management of its mineral ...

Brazil Reaches Self-Sufficiency in Oil Before Christmas

The president of the state-owned Brazilian oil company Petrobras, José Sérgio Gabrielli, says that ...

Despite All Brazil and US Have Common Goal in Middle East, Says Deputy Secretary of State

US deputy secretary of State, William Joseph Burns, talked yesterday, March 1st, in Rio ...