UAE to highlight coffee market in Ecuador

With the continuous mission in promoting coffee, cocoa and chocolate export supply to foreign countries, PRO Ecuador, the trade and investment promotion organisation of Ecuador, is organising its fourth consecutive “Aromas del Ecuador”, a business matchmaking forum to take place on September 4 and 5 in the Ecuadorian capital Quito.

The UAE’s coffee consumption market is set for remarkable growth and will be worth Dh409 million ($112 million) by 2017, according to a research by Euromonitor. Ecuador’s total coffee exports was valued at Dh799 million in 2013, with UAE coffee imports from the country increasing by 55 per cent from Dh525,600 in 2012 to Dh967,250 in the same year.

At Aromas del Ecuador, PRO Ecuador, is sponsoring a UAE coffee importer to attend the specialised business matchmaking event, which will provide a unique opportunity to meet with Ecuadorian exporters of coffee, cocoa and chocolate including a visit to site farm production and factories.

“Our main objective is to enhance trade relations between Ecuador and foreign countries and UAE is one of our key partners in terms of exporting the countries’ rich and high quality products especially that the consumption of coffee, cocoa and chocolate is on the rise in the country,” said Hussam Hassan, head of the Ecuadorian Commercial Office in Dubai. “Aromas del Ecuador offers a perfect platform to showcase the country’s best coffee, cocoa and chocolate products. Visitors from around the world will have the chance to visit farms of producers and factories to gain insight about the country’s products.”

The thriving UAE chocolate market reached Dh588 million in 2014 with a growth rate of 27 per cent in sales value and 14 per cent in volume as estimated by AC Nielsen Audit. Both Dubai and Abu Dhabi have introduced chocolate to their date confectioneries industries, thus, creating new taste and experience of the national fruit.

— abdulbasit@khaleejtimes.com