'Brazil Taste' to get China taste more from Brazil

Guilherme Belli, head of the trade-promotion sector at the Brazilian embassy in Beijing makes an opening speech during "Brazil Taste" in Beijing on Friday. [Provided for chinadaily.com.cn]

Brazil is commencing further forays into China's food market as China's largest trade partner in South America is trying to make its other symbolic "national treasures" - besides soccer and the samba - better known.

Guilherme Belli, head of the trade-promotion sector at the Brazilian embassy in Beijing, introduced some of the country's major specialties in an opening speech to unveil the second edition of "Brazil Taste" in Beijing on Friday. The two-month event is focusing on high-end purchasing power in Northern China after tapping into the eastern part of the country from Shanghai during the campaign's first edition.

"Chinese people may have consumed some Brazilian food products but very few know where it comes from," Belli said, adding the country abounds with the world's fine coffee, red wine, dairy and propolis (a type of bee glue) besides traditionally noted meat products.

According to Belli, the southern part of Brazil is also one of the world's red wine-producing bases as the region is populated with Italian immigrants. Propolis could help adjust immune function as it comes from the plant Baccharis Genistelloides, which exudes antibiotic substances.

Besides high-end marketing channels like hotels and business affairs, Brazil is also exploring online platforms as China has the most e-commerce users. Juhuasuan, an online shopping platform of Alibaba, China's most popular e-commerce website, sold more than 12,000 Brazilian products at discounted prices, such as shoes, honey, meat and nuts, during the first three days of the Rio Olympics，according to Belli.

However, the country has to bridge the culture and geological gap with China to grow its commercial presence in China.

"The reason Brazilian food is less known to Chinese people is that we lack brand promotion in the Chinese market," said Augusto Castro, head of the Economic Section at the Embassy of Brazil in Beijing.

The two-day "Brazil Taste" in Shanghai in March made $2.25 million in sales.