How Serbian food conquers the world, one fair at a time: Gulfood 2022, Dubai (1) - After the Serbian dairy success in Russia, UAE opened its gates

Serbian agrarians are always hungry for new markets, and eKapija checked that fact on the spot in Dubai, sending our "competitors" at the International Food Fair Gulfood 2022, one of the leading global exhibitions of food products, held from 13 to 17 February. Significant "spoils" are shared at this fair: the market in question is much wider than Dubai and the UAE, practically the entire Middle East, Africa, large portion of Asia. Billions of people, and just as many mouths to feed.

The first analyzes, as announced by SCC, show that companies from Serbia have agreed on new export deals there, exceeding EUR 3 million. The fair, in the immense halls of the World Trade Center, was attended by more than 4,000 companies from 120 countries, including global food producers, distributors and retail chains, as well as leading experts in the food industry and the world's best chefs. Everyone displayed their flagship products, but with the addition of experiments - especially in the field of politically correct, "green" diet of the future - by searching for substitutes for meat and milk (cattle have become the public enemy number 3 or 4, and their chances of progressing the scale are growing ).


The 15 Serbian companies took a somewhat more traditional position, offering frozen fruits and vegetables, fish, juices, honey, truffles, dairy products, soups ... our businessmen counted a total of about 700 bilateral talks in those few days. Will there be a shift from quantity to quality? Preliminary results were summarized by Zorana Delic from the Center for the Organization of Fairs of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce (SCC):

- For most of our producers at the Dubai fair, new business opportunities and arrangements are open with the United Arab Emirates, other markets such as Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar, India, Israel, Kuwait, Iran, but also with Canada, Australia and Japan. There was great interest in fresh apples, frozen fruits and vegetables, cheese spreads and feta cheese, honey, low-calorie and extra jams, fruit juices, truffle products, ajvar, fish, soups, popcorn...

Let us review those products by sectors. First - dairy products.


The companies that have decided to participate in the fairs as part of their export strategy, have done a good job, it is a mechanism that works, the spokespeople of SCC reiterated. Among those companies is Mlekara Sabac (Sabac Dairy) - also a regular participant in fairs. In Russia today, the folks from Sabac hold a huge 25% share in the market of white soft cheeses.

- There are always great expectations from such fairs. We are the largest exporters of dairy products from Serbia, we produce cheeses with a good shelf life, 100% natural, without additives. We export to 17 countries, like United States, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus, Russia, the European Union, the countries of the former Yugoslavia - says Vesna Mitrovic, Sales Director.

So far, no cheese has been exported from Sabac to the Middle and Far East, but business contacts have been established and that could well change. Last year, veterinary certificates were harmonized with the UAE regulation, which is a basic precondition for export.

Export manager Aleksandar Ivanovic told eKapija that the Sabac dairy had very good business talks at this year's fair in Dubai, and expects concrete projects to come out of them in the future - customers are most interested in Sabac cheeses and spreads.

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Participation at fairs with the help of SCC and DAS

In order to promote and internationalize the business of economic entities, the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, in cooperation with the Development Agency of Serbia and other partners, organizes a joint appearance of domestic companies at international fairs abroad.

SCC has traditionally had a prominent place at fairs in Russia, Germany and France, as well as in the markets in the region, but there is an effort to "open" a new market every year through an organized fair appearance.

This year alone, the road has led our businessmen to Berlin, Moscow, Nuremberg, and they are expected in Dusseldorf, Mostar, Hanover, Amsterdam, Paris, Chicago, Tirana...

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In the geographical sense, Mlekara Ub (Ub Dairy) is not far from Sabac, and it's conquering markets with a brand that has a truly global name, Dr. Milk. It is an export-oriented family company, a regular participant at fairs. A sister and brother, Ruzica (31) and Nenad Blizanjac (23) also came to Gulfood. The company from Ub boasts of successful young managers, as once the best football players.

- We are proud that in a short time we managed to take a strong position in the category of dairy products on the domestic and export markets - says Ruzica Blizanjac, General Manager of Mlekara Ub. - Immediately after the placement of products in the Serbian market under the brand Dr. Milk, we have received all the necessary export licenses. Coming to this fair allows us to develop that further. In cooperation with SCC, we are participating in the Gulfood fair for the first time, but otherwise we are happy to respond. We believe that with our quality, capacity and wide range of products, we can meet the requirements of the large world markets.


The capacity of Mlekara Ub is 650 tons of daily processing, with a tendency to increase. Exports are being done to the EU, Russia, China and the neighboring countries.

- We are extremely satisfied with the meetings and talks with future partners in this region. The biggest interest is in our cheese spreads and feta cheese. The reactions of visitors who have tried our products are all really positive, and the quality and price are highly competitive, which is important to us - says Ruzica Blizanjac and adds that they expect cooperation with companies from the Emirates, Iraq and Iran.

M. Radonjic

Privredna komora Srbije

Razvojna agencija Srbije

Mlekara a.d. Šabac

Mlekara Ub doo Ub

Gulfood 2002

World Trade Centre Dubai

Dr Milk

Zorana Delic

Vesna Mitrovic

Aleksandar Ivanovic

Ruzica Blizanjac

Nenad Blizanjac

fair

fairs

international fairs

international food fair

food export

dairy export

white cheese

dairy farms