Gulfoods: Where the World Talks Food

Team Fornazor traveled to Dubai and braved a sandstorm during Gulfood, one of the largest food,  hospitality and ingredient trade shows in the world.  Everything in Dubai is Bigger! Taller!! More Excessive!!! than any other place on earth.  The show lived up to Dubai’s larger-than-life reputation and attracted over 62,000 attendees with more than 3,800 exhibitors from 88 countries. The exhibition was held in 9 separate halls and was spread out over one million square ft. of dedicated exhibition space. Gulfood 2012 had pavilions from all corners of the globe including Algeria, Hungary, Kenya, Peru, Argentina, Australia, China, Chile, France, Hungary, Japan, Kenya, Malaysia, Maldives, Pakistan, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey, USA and Vietnam.

And for those who have a thing for camels, this was the place to be. The UAE has a strong attachment to their camels. In the first decade of the 21^st century, there were about 200,000 camels within the Emirates. There were at least that many at Gulfoods, but in the form of sculptured chocolates, delicate baked goods and creamy ice creams.  

The growth and outlook of the food sector is a very important issue for the Middle East market as global trends present new opportunities for the food and beverage industry. Why? With food consumption in the region growing exponentially, there is a pressing need to establish valuable trade relations with food producing nations. Additionally, the region represents huge potential for companies where established markets now deliver minimal growth.

The show positions itself as a sales and sourcing platform for all participants.

In the Land of Camels, Palm Trees and Babagonush

Fornazor’s Specialty Food Team participated in a Focused Trade Mission to Dubai, UAE and Doha, Qatar. The mission offered a focused dialogue with pre-selected appointments in the commercial bakery sector. Susan Rosenthal Jay and Anthony Micci met with more than a dozen owners and general managers of leading commercial bakeries and ingredient distributors. Who knew that pizza was a staple in Doha, right along with hummus and tabouli salad? There were also receptions hosted in each city by the country’s Ambassador…a very enjoyable way to network!

Fornazor’s Table Top presentation featured many “better for you” and Halal food items. With the high rate of diabetes in the Middle East, there is interest in healthier foods including sugar free, low fat and low salt selections.

The week offered a well organized, and busy, program. Meetings (ask us about spending 45 minutes trying to find an unmarked address in the middle of nowhere), hypermarket visits and enjoying local food all added up to a week well spent.