PROCOMER: Costa Rica puts its high value added food offer on display at the Gulfood Dubai trade fair

• The Costa Rican company Tertulia Brugge was the winner at the Gulfood Innovationawards in the category Best Sustainable Product.

SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica, Feb. 21, 2023. Food products such as roasted coffee, cocoa powder, fruit juices, and purees; frozen roots, tubers, fruits, and vegetables, as well as organic pineapple are part of the offer that the Costa Rican Foreign Trade Promoter (PROCOMER) and eight companies in the sector are promoting at the most important food industry fair in the Middle East, Gulfood Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

From February 20 to 24, at a stand of the country brand Essential Costa Rica, the companies Tertulia Brugge, Fructa CR, Beneficio Las Peñas, Thompson Coffee, Productos Agropecuarios Visa, Congelados Bajo Cero, Frutera La Paz, and Caminos del Sol put their offer on display with the aim of positioning the country as a market for the production of high value added foods.

For the Minister of Foreign Trade of Costa Rica and president of the Board of Directors of PROCOMER, Manuel Tovar, the United Arab Emirates market is strategic since it is key to positioning Costa Rica in the market and to entering other countries in the Middle East.

«The Middle East is a market of approximately 417 million people with an average GDP of $64,581 per capita where they demand sophisticated and high value-added products and services such as those being promoted by national companies at Gulfood. This trade fair is a gateway to a market full of opportunities that the foreign trade sector wants to support,» he said.

Every year, Gulfood Dubai brings together 5,000 exhibitors from more than 125 countries and more than 100,000 visitors, which represents an opportunity for Costa Rican exporters to learn about the business culture and market dynamics as well as make new contacts with potential buyers and keep up with industry trends and innovations.

Pedro Beirute, general manager of PROCOMER, added that, «The United Arab Emirates is the third most important market for food industry exports in the Middle East, which is why Gulfood continues to be a key trade fair for this sector, especially for value-added products, since we’re talking about conscientious consumers who demand innovation and sustainability in their products. In this sense, PROCOMER has been making an effort, in conjunction with export companies, to take advantage of the latest trends in the industry, add value, and seek new niches in which Costa Rica can be more competitive.»

In Costa Rica’s eighth participation in Gulfood Dubai, the company Tertulia Brugge stands out as the winner of the Gulfood Innovation awards in the category of Best Sustainable Product with its single-use drip coffee bags El Gusto Drip Coffee. In the 2021 edition, the company won the highest award in the category The Most Innovative Beverage for their product Monk Fruit Chocolate Powder, while in 2022 they won in the category Best Packaging Design Impact with their drip coffee.

«This new award not only allows us to seek recognition and better positioning in the market, but as an export SME, it makes us feel satisfied with the commitments we have made to present a distinguished offer with a high technological component and which is in line with new international trends. We are very happy to be the first Costa Rican company to receive three awards at one of the most important food and beverage trade fairs in the world,» explained Eugenia Sánchez, commercial manager at Tertulia Brugge.

In 2022, the food industry positioned itself as the third largest exporter of goods in the country with a participation of 15%. That year, the sector’s exports recorded a 17% growth and reached the sum of $1,758 million, with the main markets being Guatemala (13%), the United States (12%), the Netherlands (12%), and Panama (10%). While products with the highest growth were syrups for soft drinks, juices, and fruit and sugar concentrates. *

Likewise, the previous year, Costa Rican exports to the Middle East surpassed $58 million, positioning the food sector as the second most important sector at a market share of 6% with products such as palm oil (40%), juices and fruit concentrates (19%), and tropical fruit preserves (18%). The main export destinations for this market were Morocco (40%), Israel (34%), and the United Arab Emirates (12%). *

*Data for Costa Rican exports for the year 2022 exclude the months of April, May, and June due to a systems hack at the Ministry of Finance.