The Arab countries account for less than 10 per cent, reports Brazil-Arab News Agency. “By the end of next year, we intend to export at least 50 per cent of our production. I believe sales to the Arabs may reach up to 30 per cent of those,” says the Foreign Trade analyst Débora Mizokoshi.

Avebom began exporting to the Middle East in 2009, when it obtained a halal certification, a mandatory requirement in order to export to Muslim countries because it attests that the animals have been slaughtered in accordance with Islamic law. “We are aware that the Arab market buys a lot [of chicken], so we felt the need for the certification,” says Ms Mizokoshi.

To the Arabs, Avebom exports chicken cuts such as breast, shawarma (a type of cut consumed in the Middle East), and thigh. The packaging of the products sold to the region is labelled in English and Arabic.

According to the analyst, the bulk of sales to the Middle East are done via trading companies, and the remainder takes place through direct contacts. “Our client in Qatar is a catering company. In the Emirates, we sell to distributors,” she says.

The main export market for Avebom is Japan. The company also sells to Hong Kong, Ghana, Namibia, Congo, Angola and Georgia. In the Middle East, Ms Mizokoshi discloses that the company is aiming for a new country. “Saudi Arabia is a very interesting market. I believe we will eventually break in, but the country makes several demands which we will have to adapt to,” she says.

The company has participated in two editions of Gulfood, the leading food fair in the Middle East, held in Dubai. Avebom also attends fairs such as Sial Paris (France), Sial Shanghai (China) and Anuga (Germany).

Founded in 1999, Avebom is based in Jaguapitã, in the state of Paraná, and has 500 employees.