Arab recipes, Brazilian flavour equals Greek businessman July 30, 2006
Posted by grhomeboy in Greek Diaspora.trackback
Greek businessman Theodoro Daris arrived in Brazil in the 1950’s and started producing tahine, sesame seed paste used in Arab cuisine. Nowadays, the company established by the immigrant produces 40 different items and supplies to famous restaurants in the city of São Paulo, as is the case with restaurants Arábia, Almanara and the Habib’s chain.
São Paulo - Businessman Theodoro Daris migrated from Greece to Brazil at the beginning of the 1950’s. He landed in Rio de Janeiro. From that city he came to São Paulo, the land of opportunities. He took advantage of the one that arose: he noticed that Arab food could please the Brazilians and started producing tahine, a sesame seed paste used in many Arab dishes. As time went by Daris became one of the main suppliers to the main restaurants and fast food chains in the country. The company currently produces 40 items, including sweets like halawi and rahat.
The sweet recipes are his family’s, from his father, who had a store in Greece and another in Romania. “Daris brought the recipes in his luggage and adapted them to the taste of the Brazilians,” explained Roberto Melo, the commercial director at Istambul, the brand created by the Greek. According to him, this is one of the secrets to the company success. “The tahine made by Istambul, for example, is saltier than that eaten in the Arab countries, as in Brazil the foods are saltier,” he explained.
To produce tahine and other products based on sesame seeds, the company imports the grain. They buy mainly from India and the countries of the Middle East. “Production in Brazil is still small and is not turned to the food industry,” stated Melo. Around 1,200 tonnes of sesame seeds are consumed per year.
The products, mainly tahine, the company cash cow, are sold to end users through large supermarket chains in the country, like Pão de Açúcar. However, the main revenues come from sales to restaurants like Almanara, Arábia and chain Habib’s. “Consumption at these restaurants has risen in recent years. This shows that Daris was right. Arab food was incorporated into the diet of the Brazilians,” stated Melo.
Growth > Daris’ growth from a producer of artistic products to company owner took place in the 1970’s. “The demand for products started rising and the customers started knocking at our door,” stated Melo. The growth, however, took place after the incorporation of another three brands of Arab products: Oriente, Nasser and Zacharias. The first is still active and is turned to whole meal products. The two latter brands have been closed. The company currently has 50 employees.
Exports are beginning. For the time being, only some countries in the Mercosur, the customs union between Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, receive the products. “And even to them the exports are sporadic. People come, buy and take,” stated Melo. According to him, for 2006, the target is to invest more in foreign sales. “One of the challenges, however, is the prices of products, which consumers still consider high,” he added. A 250-gram pot may cost as much as 12 reais, approximately US$ 5.50.
grhomeboy
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