“So French So Good” in Dubai: Successful first edition

The French Trade Commission-UBIFRANCE in the United Arab Emirates launched “So French So Good” to promote France’s food-and-drink sector and gastronomy. The exclusive dinner has been organized at the Sofitel Jumeirah Beach, the 25th October 2011, in conjunction with the French pavilion held at the Speciality Food Festival.

Almost 120 people attended the event and had the opportunity to enjoy high quality French food products thanks to our partners Classic Fine Foods, Chef Middle East, JM Foods and MMI. Chefs, F&B Managers, food importers, local Authorities, local farms and groups tasted Marennes d’Oléron oysters (Dublaix), Sarrade foie gras, Mons cheeses, Caviar & Prestige, Pains & Tradition, Evian, Valrhona chocolate, Moet & Chandon…

The General Consul of France also invited his counterparts while the Alliance Française of Dubai promoted the artist Tristan Rondet who exhibits at Sofitel.

The French exhibitors at the Speciality Food Festival had the opportunity to continue their discussions with local importers and chefs they met at the show, thanks to B2B meetings organized by the French Trade Commission-UBIFRANCE. French agrifood exports to the Middle East (including Egypt) increased significantly in 2010, with a €1.525bn turnover and a 45% rise compare to 2009. The three major markets in the region for French food & beverage exports are Egypt with 36%, KSA (25%) and the UAE (13%). If we consider only the GCC, KSA and UAE are the main markets with 59% of the market.

About So French So Good www.sofrenchsogood.com:
So French So Good is a worldwide campaign on the initiative of Pierre LELLOUCHE, the French Secretary of State for Foreign Trade, with the support of the French Ministry of Agriculture, Food, Fisheries, Rural Development and Territorial Planning. The United Arab Emirates has been chosen among 12 countries as Belgium, Brazil, China, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.
This project follows upon the registration of the "French gourmet meal" at the UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list, in November 2010. According to the United Nation’s cultural organization, French meals play an important social role and are part of the French identity.

About UBIFRANCE www.ubifrance.com/ae:
UBIFRANCE, the French agency for international business development, comes under the aegis of France’s Ministry for the Economy, Industry & Employment. UBIFRANCE lies at the heart of France’s public-sector export support framework. With 66 offices in 46 countries, UBIFRANCE offers a comprehensive range of products and services to help French-based companies develop their export. We handle: knowledge-based products and services, from business information to consultancy & monitoring services; helping companies to develop their international strategy; promotional operations in order to foster their partnerships with foreign companies.