Dubai in Fundão

Getting international business, innovating and creating sustainable value.

Cova da Beira was on show in the Arab world in November and got everyone talking. The olive oil with its flakes of gold, rose-flavoured jelly, wine, cured meats, cheeses, jams and the famous cherries whet people’s appetites in the food market in Abu Dhabi and awoke the locals’ curiosity. To such an extent that the region welcomed a group of investors from Qatar in February who are interested in acquiring businesses for the exclusive production of certain products.
“Participating in international fairs in selected markets is part of the strategy of marketing our products internationally, which are presented together in a hamper under the brand name Clube de Produtores do Fundão”, the municipal president Paulo Fernandes explained. The brand came into being thanks to an initiative by the Municipal Council and it includes 18 companies from the food and agriculture sector, chosen because of their experience and orientation towards exports, with the clear aim of crossing borders.
Having recognised that the domestic market had shrunk, with the amount received by producers lower than expected because of the prices being charged, what was needed was to create sustainable value in foreign markets. However, despite the reputation and recognised quality of the products, they lacked the necessary size for an international operation. This was overcome by presenting a hamper with a single brand, which promoted all the products and allowed the costs of attending international events to be shared, simultaneously offering consumers a wide range of flavours. In seven months, the Clube de Produtores do Fundão has been present in the Brazilian, Japanese and Chinese markets, and in Paris at SIAL, the biggest agro-food fair in the world.