Spanish company Hispalco had a stand at the World of Perishables (WOP) in Dubai for the first time this year. "Last year, we gradually began exporting to the Middle East. The goal at the trade show was to strengthen our relations with the importers we work with. Not just in Dubai, also in Kuwait and the Emirates. We don't intend to conquer the Middle East and we're avoiding the large volumes, but if we retain a few good clients who pay the prices we need, then the trade show is already a success," Willem van Rooij says.
"We have already exported Clementines, peaches, nectarines and strawberries to the Middle East by air and sea freight. We are able to defend our product well in Europe, but WOP was a great opportunity to strengthen our ties in the Middle East," Willem says. "We adopt the same strategy as in Europe, and don't deviate from our quality criteria, which has its price. On a market like Dubai, price is a guiding principle. The challenge is to find specific importers who will also pay the agreed price for a quality product when the market is on the decline after their product arrives. We definitely don't want to sell to just anybody."
At the trade show in Dubai, Hispalco had a stand with an exclusive look and feel, which the Arabs appreciated. "They were looking at our stand open-mouthed," Willem says. "It's not as big as Fruit Logistica in Berlin, where we've had a stand for years, but we spoke with many people from the Middle East, and there were also a lot of visitors from Asia. The general opinion was that last year's WOP was more crowded. Our intention was to get our current and potential clients acquainted with our company, and it was a good event for that. We're thinking in small steps in terms of export to the Middle East."
