On a visit to the Arab-Brazil Chamber of Commerce earlier this month, Al Islami’s deputy CEO Hamid Badawi and Brazil country manager Waldemiro Michels Junior said the company wanted to “secure a foothold in the country” in order to improve links with its suppliers, according to the Brazil-Arab News Agency (ANBA).
Soon Brazil, next… the world
Following the opening of its Brazilian office, Al Islami may then develop its own poultry processing facility at a later date. The company’s executives told ANBA any facility would only be for added-value production, and not rearing or slaughtering, which would continue to be handled by Al Islami’s suppliers.
The food producer has two factories in the UAE and one in Saudi Arabia. It opened its most recent plant in Dubai in 2015, creating around 1,000 jobs.
Al Islami has had ambitions to expand its sales beyond the GCC for some time, on the back of the well-documented boom in Halal food products around the world. A facility in Brazil would allow the firm to target European markets more efficiently compared to supplying them from the Gulf, especially as the firm imports all its meat from Brazil, its executives confirmed to ANBA.
Crowing about the council
Last month Al Islami marked another milestone, when it became an associate member of the International Poultry Council, during an IPC event in Abu Dhabi, the first in the Middle East for 10 years. The IPC represents around 80% of global poultry production, and Al Islami joins 45 other associate members, along with 22 country members.
“Being an effective partner in IPC, which is the only poultry association recognised by the international organisations that have a direct impact on the poultry industry worldwide, will give us the opportunity to showcase Al Islami as a leading provider of Halal food for the region while also voicing out our call to further reinforce the global poultry industry by promoting a worldwide understanding that these products are a healthy source of protein,” said Al Islami marketing manager Naseem Ihsan.
Al Islami’s Badawi said: “We would like to thank the IPC for naming us as its newest associate member which complements our local commitment to bring world class highly nutritious and tasty Halal food to the region.”
He added that chicken was a good source of protein, and could be prepared in different ways.