Choithrams hosting ‘Australian Goodness Festival’ in Dubai

UAE-based retail chain Choithrams is hosting the ‘Australian Goodness Festival’, a culinary festival taking place from April 12-25 across all its Dubai stores. The festival complements this year’s Australia Unlimited MENA series of events hosted by the Australian Trade Commission, which aims to promote existing bilateral trade, investment and cultural ties between Australia and the MENA region.

“With the presence of a sizeable Australian expatriate community, numbering 16,000, and the significant demand for Australian products, the country has been an attractive region for us to source from. Our interest in Australian foods and beverages takes our team to Australia on buying missions, at least once a year,” says Ramesh Thanwani, director, Choithrams.

“The Australian Goodness Festival aligns perfectly with this year’s Australia Unlimited MENA theme of innovation, highlighting the importance of agribusiness and food exports in the UAE. The festival also serves as a great opportunity to further leverage Australia’s food sector renowned for its clean, green and safe production,” adds Pablo Kang, Australian ambassador to the UAE, who visited the Choithrams store located at the Greens community.

“Australia’s exports to the GCC are growing substantially, up by 12% year-on-year, with food exports increasing up to 36% to AUD169 million, with the leading products being meat and wheat. This demonstrates the increasing significance of Australia’s food sector in the Emirates with unparalleled opportunities to capitalise on consumer demand for premium, fresh food products facilitated by daily flights to the UAE,” says Gerard Seeber, consul general and senior trade commissioner.