In September 2021, the “Calabria Region comes to the UAE” project was launched with the aim to promote Calabrian agri-food excellence in the Gulf countries. The Italian Chamber of Commerce in the UAE organized the project in collaboration with Confartigianato Imprese Calabria involving 19 Calabrian companies in the food and beverage sector and 11 companies producing wines and spirits. The main objective is to spread the typical products of the region to the population of the United Arab Emirates. In fact, the area is a strategic destination for Italian food products, not only because of the adverse climatic conditions that mean that 90% of food products are imported from abroad, but also because it is a constantly growing market thanks to the exponential increase in the resident population. To this we must add the positive impact of Expo2020 on the agri-food sector. In fact, the event is attracting millions of visitors from all over the world, with a positive impact on the tourism and catering sectors.
The agri-food companies selected to take part in the “Calabria Region comes to the UAE” project have from September a dedicated page on the online B2B platform called “Italian Food and Beverage in the Gulf” made available by the Italian Chamber of Commerce in UAE. Through the platform, companies can introduce themselves, present their products and come into direct contact with local distributors and importers who wish to receive more information about the company. By consulting the platform, it is possible to browse a large variety of Calabrian products, from fresh pasta to organic extra virgin olive oil, from sweets to licorice, from jams to preserves. Added to this is the promotion work carried out by the Chamber Team to distributors and HO.RE.CA. not only in the UAE, but in all the Gulf countries.
Local operators and numerous exponents of the Horeca sector have shown particular appreciation for Calabrian agri-food products, as evidenced by the many visits to their stands during the The Specialty Food Festival fair held at the Dubai World Trade Center from 7 to 9 November.
The products of the Calabrian companies were then promoted within the World Summit to the Italian chefs of prestigious restaurants in Dubai. The chefs personally tasted the products and had the opportunity to use them in the preparation of their dishes. Among the restaurants involved there was Bella Restaurant & Lounge, a traditional restaurant that offers a contemporary interpretation of the dishes. At Bella, a team of chefs with proven international experience, offer sophisticated menus led by the brilliant chef Alessandro Miceli. The Calabrian products were then also delivered to the restaurant “Trattoria”.
Other events that took place in the context of the Summit were:
– 7/11: “Circular food economy: the road to sustainable eating”
– 8/11: “Ciao Bella! The world’s first dine and art experience on NFT (non – fungible tokens), Bella Restaurant & Lounge
– 9/11: “The Italian wine crypto bank at Capital Club” – Capital Club Dubai
– 10/11: “The best Italian chefs of Dubai at Expo 2020”
– “A tribute to Venice: the summit launches a unique glass celebrating Dubai skyline” – DIFC Gate 32 – Le Terrazze
– “The Sustainability Night” – Capital Club Dubai, The Other Story Terrace