18 Moscow-based producers of beverages, snacks, sweets, ice cream and other products displayed their foods as part of the Made in Moscow stand at Gulfood exhibition in Dubai. Launching of the joint stand from Moscow brands was attended by Oleg Fomin, Consul General of the Russian Federation in Dubai, Aleksandr Klimov, Deputy Head of the Moscow Department for Entrepreneurship and Innovative Development, Vitaly Stepanov CEO of Moscow Export Center, and other guests.
“The United Arab Emirates traditionally remains an appealing market for the Moscow business – and interest in the country is expanding year by year. The share of Moscow in the total volume of Russia’s non-resource non-energy exports to the UAE for the first 11 months of 2023 was over 27%; and this figure will grow, as indicated by the interest of Moscow companies for this region,” stated Vitaly Stepanov, CEO of Moscow Export Center.
For the second year in a row, the Made in Moscow stand opens at Gulfood exhibition in Dubai, where producers from the capital of Russia who met the competitive selection criteria of the Moscow Export Center are able to present their products.
Many of the Moscow stand exhibitors already have the name in overseas markets. Thus, Raw Life vegan bars are selling in China, and Ochakovo beverages in Vietnam. Some producers will debut with their products on the international scale, such as RoseMaryCake, which is making sugar-free desserts, and Nattys — a brand of popular peanut butter from Moscow.
“Our products are made using lean technology of preserving all the beneficial properties of nuts, without any artificial additives: only pure & honest composition and supreme quality. We have obtained huge amount of positive feedback about our products and design. It was curious to find out that the taste preferences of exhibition visitors from the UAR, Iran, India, Pakistan, Jordan, the UK, the Saudi Arabia, Italy, Spain, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Sri Lanka, Brazil, and many other countries tremendously differed from the preferences of our Russian consumers,” said Yuliana Nikolaeva, the Nattys brand founder and the company CEO.
The sugar-free, gluten-free and high protein pastry from RoseMaryCake’s M&N brand is already familiar to Dubai consumers – last year the company launched its products at the Yalla!Market marketplace.
“The tendency aimed at healthy lifestyles is on, and excessive sugar consumption is a problem in many countries. The Middle Eastern states make no exception. In line with the market trends, our desserts are sugar- and gluten- free. At the Made in Moscow stand we managed to present our brand and give partners and potential consumers an opportunity to taste alternative desserts. It was a sheer pleasure to get positive feedbacks from consumers at the GulFood 2024 exhibition,” – maintained Ekaterina Amineva, Head of Sales at RoseMaryCake.
With the aid of the Moscow Export Center, manufacturers carefully investigate the relevant needs of foreign markets. For instance, the company’s main export focus has become Arab countries, where diabetes rates are high, said Inna Bogdanova, the brand’s founder. This brand of products for women’s health already presented its products at Gulfood last year. The brand’s products are low-carb and high in healthy nutrients. In 2023, the brand was awarded nine golds at the World Food international exhibition.
“Moscow Export Center has already conducted more than 15 business events with partners from the UAE, attended by some 300 companies. Opening the Made in Moscow stand at the Gulfood exhibition, where 18 companies presented their food products, is another example of such support. Moreover, by the year’s end, the MEC will implement more projects to solidify the trade and economic cooperation between Moscow and the United Arab Emirates. Specifically, IT companies will be able to take part in the GITEX Global, and companies from the movies and animation industry, as well as FMCG manufacturers will have the opportunity to hold business talks with partners as part of a business mission to the UAE,” Vitaly Stepanov noted.
The Moscow government established the Moscow Export Center to offer non-financial and financial support to local business owners in marketing the Russian capital’s manufacturers’ and service providers’ products abroad. Increasing the number of Moscow exporters and carrying out projects for the growth of their foreign trade are the MEC’s main goals.
