Gulfood is one of the world’s largest and most influential annual food and beverage trade exhibitions, and it holds an even greater importance to the MENA region and the GCC countries in particular. Taking place in Dubai, UAE, it serves as a vital platform for the global food and beverage industry, attracting exhibitors and visitors from all around the world. In 2024, held from February 19th to February 23rd at the Dubai World Trade Center under the theme “Real Food, Real Business”, Gulfood opened its doors to more than 5,200 exhibitors from 125 countries while over 130,000 visitors made sure to attend the event.
This year’s exhibition saw a record number of Russian exporters, as 97 companies from 32 various regions of Russia arrived in Dubai to showcase over three tonnes of products. Russia’s country pavilion at Gulfood covered an area of more than 1,000 square meters, and Russian food and beverage companies were united by its recognizable ‘Made in Russia’ branding, organized by the Russian Export Center. Additionally, a delegation led by Russia’s Agriculture Minister Dmitry Patrushev, comprising government officials alongside representatives of industry unions and associations, visited Gulfood, emphasizing the high quality of Russia’s agricultural exports and its friendly relations with the GCC region.
The Russian pavilion united leading producers of grain, meat, oil, dairy products, confectionery, beverages, as well as representatives of innovative foodtech companies that produce premium chocolate, plant-based meat and health-oriented products. The list of exhibitors included such notable companies as MAKFA, Russia’s market leader in pasta and flour and a major producer of cereals and grain flakes, Agro-Alliance, one of the largest agro-industrial holdings in Russia that produces groats, legumes, flakes, oats, flour, and durum wheat pasta, Cherkizovo Group, the largest meat producer in Russia, and many more. Some highly specialized companies included the ‘Russian Crab’ Group, which harvests premium-quality crab meat in ecologically clean cold waters of the Russian seas, R.A.W. Life, a producer of protein and energy bars as well as other natural health-oriented products, and Siberian Cedar Eco-Factory, one of the leading processors and exporters of pine nut kernels and other natural products in Russia.
Russian companies had a busy schedule all through the exhibition, conducting over 650 B2B meetings with potential partners that are expected to result in fruitful contracts and bring Russia’s leading food and agricultural products to even more customers around the world. The estimated total export potential of these meetings surpasses $72 million, which is another sign that Russian agricultural products continue to attract the attention of international customers.
