São Paulo – The Arab companies exhibiting at supermarket fair APAS Show 2025 in São Paulo are finding a favorable market due to Brazil’s exemption of import taxes on olive oil, one of the main products they are showcasing at the event. The show began on Monday (12) at Expo Center Norte, featuring 15 Arab companies from the United Arab Emirates, Tunisia, and Egypt in booths organized by the Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce (ABCC).
ABCC President William Adib Dib Jr. says APAS Show is the main gateway for Arab products into Brazil and believes the fair has potential to feature an even greater Arab representation in of the number and diversity of countries, companies, and products. “We’re in a good moment—olive oil is doing well and has greater appeal this year—but there’s room for much more,” he says.
The secretary-general & international relations vice president of the ABCC, Mohamad Mourad, shares a similar view. “We have a privileged space, with good companies and quality products, and I believe that with the tariff exemptions—even if temporary—on a product that Arab countries export to Brazil, olive oil, we have a good chance of increasing our business volume at the fair this year,” he said. Mourad is also optimistic about the increased activity observed on the first day of the event.
Another ABCC leader present at APAS Show on its opening day, treasurer Mohamad Abdouni Neto sees the fair as an opportunity for Arab companies to be directly in with Brazilian buyers. He says that success at the fair largely depends on the quality and competitiveness of the products, and he wishes Arab companies well. “I wish success to our Arab friends who are here,” said the treasurer, adding that the presence of Arab companies at the fair is very important to open the eyes of the Brazilian market to the region’s products.
A member of the ABCC’s Board, Riad Younes emphasizes the importance of fostering trade between Brazil and Arab countries in both directions. “Our role is doing precisely that, to help both sides understand each other, with Brazilians going to Arab countries and Arabs coming here,” he says. Speaking at the fair, he highlights the importance of Arabs understanding Brazil’s capacity and product diversity. “We have a huge market with various levels of consumption, including high-quality consumption that could be interested in Arab products,” he says, reminding that Brazil is a friendly country to Arabs.
Another member of the ABCC’s Board present on the first day of APAS Show, William Atui, says Brazil has a great potential for consuming Arab products and that their sales in the country are much lower than they could be. He highlights, for example, the quality of production and products from Tunisia. At the fair, he spoke with representatives from the Arab country about the possibility of assessing the obstacles preventing these sales from growing and working on addressing them.
The ABCC is hosting the Arab presence in two areas at APAS Show, at booths 331 and 187, respectively in the White and Blue pavilions. The fair runs until next Thursday (15), with around 900 exhibitors from 22 countries and an expected generation of BRL 16.5 billion [USD 2.9 billion] in business.
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Translated by Guilherme Miranda
