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.  

The French Pavilion will bring together 9 businesses, to permit international cuisine and restaurant services professionals to discover French products and know-how. Foie gras, traditionally-prepared breads, chocolates and sweets, biscuits, vanilla, prunes, truffle,... so many French products and destinations to experience and enjoy!   The success of the previous edition of The Speciality Food Festival encourages France to renew its participation in this show. The 9 exhibitors, coming from Paris and different regions of France (Provence, Burgundy, Basque country, Corsica…), will not only showcase a profusion of products but will also offer to the visitors an opportunity to taste and enjoy the French products in many healthy and flavorful ways. The exhibitors’ products will be used to cook both French and local recipes, demonstrating how they can be easily prepared and revealing how perfectly suited they are for international cuisine in the Chef’s corner.   UBIFRANCE aims at supporting French companies, especially small and medium ones, to come and find distributors in the UAE and the Middle East in general. The two main markets in the region for French products are KSA and the UAE, who together represent 50% of this turnover. French food exports to the Middle East greatly benefit from both their excellent reputation as well as from the increase of global consumption in the region where a taste for western-style products is growing and where the restaurant and fine-dining sector is thriving.   The agrifood industry is huge asset of the French economy, making France one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of food and beverages. Agriculture and food industries in France account for about 13% of the value-added of French industry as a whole. This industry employs 557,000 and generates a value-added of €31.7 billion. The agrifood sector in France is the leading industrial sector with a €148bn turnover. It accounts for 1.7% of French GDP and 7.1% of total French exports.   In November 2010, the French "repas gastronomique" (gourmet meal) was added to UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. According to the United Nation’s cultural organization, French meals play an important social role and are part of the French identity. Thus, France has launched this year a promotional campaign about food and gastronomy in some key countries around the world, including the U.A.E.   The French exhibitors are:   CASTAING , foie gras, confits, magrets, sauces, truffles juice from the Landes, www.castaing-foiegras.com   CHOCOLATERIE DE PUYRICARD , chocolate and calissons maker from Provence, www.puyricard.fr   GOURMET AND CO , prunes and gourmet products made from prunes from Corsica, www.gourmetandco.fr   KREEK’S , family-run business established in Vendée, specialized in dried fruits and snacks, www.kreeks.fr  Their products are imported in the UAE by RUNGIS FOOD STUFF , www.emiratesfinefoods.com   LOUISE BON , lentils, “sablés” and other fine food products made in the Champagne region, www.louisebon.com   PAINS & TRADITION , family of millers and bakers (father and son since 1732) from Lorraine, www.pains-tradition.com   MAISON BOISSIER , confectioner and chocolate maker established in 1827, from Paris, www.maisonboissier.com   RELAIS GOURMET , Halal certified foie gras and terrines from Basque country, www.relaisgourmet.com   VANILLE DE TAHITI , vanilla from French Polynesia, www.vanilledetahiti.pf   The latest edition of The Speciality Food Festival, in 2010, hosted 1,931 visitors from 39 countries (80% UAE, 20% international audience).   Please find attached the presentation of the French Exhibitors.  

  Starting on the January 27, Lafayette Gourmet is set to tantalise the taste buds by ringing in the delightfully divine French Week, featuring the very best in French products, live cooking shows, French cooking classes and a special French menu at our restaurant.   Every dish is made with the kind of joie de vive that has made French food a favourite the world over. Lafayette Gourmet’s French Week will also feature live evening cooking shows:    - the finest fish and chips on January 27 and February 3;    - mouth-watering moules marinières shows on January 28 and February 4;    - and the pear tatin with cinnamon ice cream shows on January 29 and February 5.     All shows take place at 6pm, making for the perfect pre-dinner entertainment. Alongside all of this there will also be a French market, with five different stations offering tastes of the most delectable delicacies. For breakfast, why not visit the Petit Déjeuner station, where you can taste the flavours of a morning in France? There will be French baguettes, croissants, butters, honeys and jams, made by the best French brands, including Honey Mas Des Abeilles, L’Epicurien Jam and Spread, Bicuiterie De Chambord and Tregor Eggs.” For the sweet-toothed French food fan, the Chocolate Fountain and Crêpes & Biscuits station will be a must-see. Featuring a chocolate fondue with fruit or cookie dips, chocolates to melt or eat, and the famous French crêpe, this station will turn even the best-kept New Year’s diets on their heads. For a more relaxing sensation, the best destination has to be the Salon De Thé, the tea station. Customers are invited to drink tea, coffee and consume everything that goes well with hot drinks, from coloured sugar to cookies and biscuits. Afterwards, why not stop in at the Olive and Condiments station, for the best insight into those little extras that make French food so fabulous? All of the country’s amazing olive oils, vinegars, mustards, salts, peppers and  truffles will be there! And, of course, a French Market would not be French without its cheese station, for serious cheese lovers. There is a full French cheese selection to taste, including Rouzaire Brie De Meaux AOC, Beillevaire St. Paulin Fermier and Goat Cheese Cabri Parthenay. So come and be a part of Lafayette Gourmet’s fabulous French Week. Lafayette Gourmet - Level 2 Galeries Lafayette - Dubai Mall  

   Ubifrance Dubai has recently met the Managing Director of MAF Retail (Carrefour): Frank Witek. Carrefour covers 11 countries in the region (the Levant, GCC, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan), with 42 outlets including 13 hypermarkets in the UAE. The Group employs 14,000 people, 60% in UAE. Mr. Witek has agreed to cooperate with Ubifrance Dubai on our operation: “Sell to hypermarkets in the Gulf Countries” to be held in April 2011 (3-6) in Dubai on four days. We will organize a morning with a presentation followed by Carrefour BtoB meetings between French companies and buyers of Carrefour and a visit of a hypermarket. This event is also expanding to Saudi Arabia with the support of our office which would involve Saudi buyers in Dubai.