Brazil's Nativ Pescados targets Arab freshwater fish market

 

Nativ Pescados, which owns a fish farm and a cold storage warehouse in the municipality of Sorriso, Mato Grosso, have ongoing negotiations as the company has already contacted distributors and supermarket chains of raw fish and frozen fillets to these four Middle East markets.

 

According to Stefano Magli, director of the company's international department, along with the samples, Arab importers received an export kit - including a catalogue, information regarding each product and a price list.

 

Nativ works in two sectors: food services, with sales to restaurants, hotels, airlines etc; and sales to supermarkets, focusing on end consumers and featuring more elaborate packaging.

 

Magli said if everything turns out as planned the company's potential Arab clients will have the chance to taste Nativ's fishery products in an exhibit in Dubai by September.

 

The company is also negotiating with importers from Europe and the United States as the company aims to export 30 percent of its output within 18 months, said Magli. This also will exhibit Brazil's potential to become high-level, regular exporter of aquaculture products.

 

Founded in 2006, Nativ, produced its first batch of fisheries in July 2008, shortly after the conclusion of the building of its cold storage warehouse and fish farm. The municipality was strategically chosen for logistic reasons. The region is part of the Amazon Basin and its main river is Teles Pires, which, alongside the Cristalino and Jurema river, comprise the Tapajós river, one of the most important tributaries of the Amazonas river.

 

Currently, the group has a farm with 138 fish tanks and a warehouse, located 60 kilometres away from the farm, for processing fisheries. The group also has distributing operations and an office, in the city of São Paulo that encompasses the commercial, financial and judicial areas. The company has 220 employees and an average output of 10 tonnes a day.

 

Magli added that the focus of the company is on quality and development of native fish species of the Amazon region. Currently, two lines are produced: raw and stuffed. Nativ works with four varieties of fish: surubim catfish, Brazilian tiger fish, tambaqui and tilapia.

 

Despite being in the market for less than one year, Nativ already has sales channels in 14 states. The largest markets are in the states of Mato Grosso, São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro.

 

The first phase of a project by the company, including the implementation of a rural unit, a Centre for Breeding and Growing, and the warehouse, received investment of 44 million Brazilian reals (BRR; US$22.6 million), comprising BRR 32 million ($16.4 million) from direct funding and BRR 12 million ($6.1 million) from indirect funding. By the end of 2012, when the second phase should be concluded, another BRR 70 million ($36 million) are expected to be invested.

 

The estimated revenue during the first year is BRR 50 million ($25.7 million). Concerned about ensuring the origin of its products, Nativ will be in charge of 100 per cent of fingerling production, and will grow the fish to be harvested along with partners.

 

Another factor that ensures better quality to the fish is traceability, which uses a software specifically designed for the segment to monitor the fish from the time that it is spawned, what tank it grew in, what it ate, at what age it was harvested, what products it generated, where it was stored, and whom it was sold to., according to ANBA.