The 27th Convention of ABAD – Brazilian Association of Wholesalers and Retailers – was held in the city of Recife, Pernambuco State, Brazil. The event gathered over 240 exhibitors from all over the country and, as in the previous three years, Brassuco, a foodstuff manufacturing concern, participated with a stand, where new items in our product line were presented.

According to Brassuco director Mr. Alexandre Müller, ABAD 2007 was most advantageous for the firm. The number of this year’s convention contacts is well over that for the year before. ‘In 2006, at the convention in Curitiba, we held a total of 107 meetings. In Recife the figure was 169 meetings, a significant increase in business,’ says Alexandre.

In that year’s fair, the company racked up a 60% increase in the number of contacts made, as compared to 2006. Of this total, 40% were meetings with distributors and wholesalers. ‘I believe this positive outcome was made possible by the personal efforts of each and every member of our team, in addition to the focusing effect established during the fair’, adds Alexandre.

During the convention, Brassuco presented the new items in its line of products for the retail and food service sectors to almost 30 thousand visitors. The big novelty for the wholesale market was Gelky jelly. In six flavours – raspberry, lemon, pineapple, passionfruit, grape and strawberry – Gelky jelly joins the company’s range of products as a nutritious dessert, with protein and low calorie. Another novelty aimed at this market is the new guava-flavour Brassuk soft drink. In 45g packaging, Brassuk is also available in orange, lemon, passionfruit, grape, mango, strawberry, pineapple, tangerine, cashew, peach, guarana and orange with mango. In the food service market Brassuco’s novelty was the ‘Pratik Chef’ line, consisting of jellies, puddings, chocolate powder, isotonics and broths manufactured by the company. ‘This new line consists of different food service products we already had, and now they all follow the same packaging pattern’, explains Müller.

The ABAD Convention is considered by exhibitors to be a privileged arena for doing business and strengthening new relationships. ‘The Convention is a brilliant opportunity to set up partnerships’, explains the Brassuco director. ABAD 2007 was the biggest gathering of the wholesale distribution sector in Latin America.