[South Africa] Kwazulu-Natal manufacturers market health products in the Middle East

KwaZulu-Natal based manufacturers, Inverness Beverages and Energy Supplements are marketing their healthy alternative and meal supplements products at the Gulfood Exhibition, currently taking  place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Inverness Beverages and Energy Supplements received financial support from the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) to participate in the exhibition.

The Gulfood is the leading food and beverage exhibition and attracts a large number of participants from the Middle East and the world at large. The Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Inverness Beverages, Mr Peter Foulis, says the Midlands-based company aims to build on the relationships they formed last year with distributors and agents. He also wants to develop a new market for their sport drinks, vitamin water, energy drinks and ice teas.

“We exhibited at the same fair last year and the response was incredible. As a direct result of Gulfood 2019, we have entered the export market and have shipped containers to new markets in Bahrain, Singapore, Australia and Mauritius. So far, our biggest success story has been supplying 4X40-foot containers to Australia and sending other containers to Mauritius. We have more orders in the pipeline for both countries,” says Foulis. His company supplies Spar, Pick n Pay, Food Lovers Market and FreshStop in South Africa.

The Chief Executive Officer of the Durban-based Energy Supplements, Ms Sarita Gericke says her main aim for participating in the Gulfood is to attract the right people for her six products that she will be exhibiting. Her company manufactures supplements, instant porridge and protein shakes which she is already exporting to Chile.

“Our Chile export opportunity emanated from an Outward Selling Mission organised by the dti. We were just at the right time and place when an agent who attended the investment seminar held in Saudi Arabia liked one of our products. We will like to surpass that achievement in the UAE since we will be launching and revealing a new product to add to our product line,” says Gericke.

www.thedti.gov.za