Russia: Halfood & Ecogoods 2018 post event Report

In Moscow, a major event in the field of halal and eco products took place. The exhibition of halal and healthy food and eco-friendly products took place on the territory of Crocus Expo, the largest exhibition center in Moscow. The exhibition which has gain the new brand since 2018 – Halfood & Ecogoods – took place in April 25 to 27.

Over one hundred companies from different regions of Russia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, as well as specially invited companies from Syria and Indonesia participated in the exhibition. The latter presented food, handicraft and textile products, cosmetic and other goods in the framework of the national expositions “Made in Syria” and “Made in Indonesia”.

The exhibition was visited by over 3000 people, including the target audience of the exhibition – buyers interested in halal and eco goods, as well as cooperation with Syrian and Indonesian suppliers.

The opening ceremony of Halfood & Ecogoods 2018 was attended by honorary guests – representatives of state authorities, diplomatic corps of foreign countries, members of Parliament, public figures, businessmen.

H.E. Mr. Riyad Haddad, the Ambassador of the Syrian Arab Republic, and H.E. Mr. Bakhrom Bakhodirovich Ashrafkhanov, the Ambassador of the Republic of Uzbekistan, the heads of trade missions in Moscow and the economic departments of the embassies of Indonesia, Malaysia, Bahrain, Algeria, Azerbaijan, Thailand and other countries visited the exhibition.

Mr. Igor Barinoa, the head of the Federal Agency for Nationalities Affairs (FADN), address to the organizers and participatns with a greeting word. In particular, he noted that the exhibition “is an excellent example of interaction and exchange of experience of representatives of different peoples of Russia and foreign countries. The sphere of halal business is represented in different regions of the country, it unites businessmen of the Volga region, the North Caucasus, Siberia, the Far East and large cities.” The head of FADN also stressed that putting organic and eco products on the agenda and finding ways to effectively develop these two segments is an excellent decision by the organizers.

Welcoming words to the participants and organizers of the exhibition were also forwarded by Mr. Vladimir Dmitriev, vice president of the Russian CCI, Mr. Aras Agalarov, president of the Crocus Group, Mr. Oleg Nikolayev, member of Parliament, chairman of the Expert council on legislation in the sphere of partnership economy and finance and others. Welcoming words on behalf of the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Syrian Arab Republic Mr. Riyad Haddad were read by Mr. Munzer Ahmed, the attaché on the economy of the Embassy.

In a welcoming speech from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Russia, Mr. Vladimir Dmitriev, in particular, says: “Today, the Halal industry in Russia is experiencing a stage of active growth, is one of the important factors in the development of trade and investment cooperation with the countries of the Arab-Muslim world.”

Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Halfood & Ecogoods Exhibition Mr. Sultan Khamzaev noted in his welcome speech: “It is representatives of private business that make a huge contribution to the development of our economy, to the growth of the halal industry and the development of international cooperation through their daily work and investing resources. I am convinced that this exhibition, which is also a private initiative, is a vivid confirmation to this, and through the combined efforts of professionals we will be able to achieve huge positive results.”

The honorary guests of the exhibition also noted the importance of fair and healthy competition in the Halal market, which, unfortunately, is far from always easily achievable. For example, Chairman of the Spiritual Directorate of Muslims of the Asian part of Russia, member of the Presidium of the Council of Muftis of Russia Nafigulla Ashirov noted the importance of activities in the field of halal business aimed at interaction and mutual enrichment of cultures, while he said that there should be no attempts at monopolizing the Halal market , whether it’s production or certification, which is disastrous for the market.

According to the organizers, the Halal market in Russia in the part year have witnessed many changes. “We are happy that by joint efforts we were able to uphold the key values and principles by which halal business is characterized by definition,” Dr. Madina Kalimullina said, Managing Partner of the Exhibition, one of the top 500 experts in the Islamic business and finance market according to ISLAMICA 2018.

This year the exhibition presented two key salons – Halfood and Ecogoods, as well as two large-scale national expositions of companies from Syria and Indonesia.

New brands in the halal food market

Halfood is a platform that is aimed to serve the halal market in Russia and CIS. Here, the consumers can explore the information on the Halal producers; and trading companies and distributors, in turn, have the opportunity to test new brands, conclude contracts for supplies and expand the quality assortment. In addition, entrepreneurs within the business program of the Exhibition receive topical knowledge on doing halal business and find potential partners.

Halfood Salon this year presented manufacturers and suppliers of halal meat and meat products, poultry, sausages, canned products, halal and kosher tea, spices, dates, sweets, mineral water, vegetable oils and other healthy products.

The Republic of Mordovia for the first time presented at the exhibition two promising young brands in the sphere of halal poultry products: the brand “ECO Halal”, produced by the poultry factory of LLC MPK “Yubileynoye” and the “GreenCo” brand produced by Oktyabrskaya poultry factory.

For the first time, a large company from the Chechen Republic, the Zhaina Farm, which was named after Ms Zhaina Cherkhigova, head of the enterprise, took part in the exhibition. The company produces a wide range of products from meat and poultry.

One of the brightest participants of the Halfood salon was the LEZZET company, which pro-duces the exclusive brand of canned high quality products.

Also, among the debutants of the exhibition was the company Modern Biotechnology LLC, which produces a healthy food product from the sea grass of the Okhotsk Sea under the brand name Lactomarine, aimed at maintaining high performance, normalizing metabolism and improving health. The product is halal certified, is natural and does not contain harmful substances.

All participants and visitors also commemorated a new exclusive brand of tea, having halal and kosher certificates, presented at the exhibition by the company Eternity Group.

Halal cosmetics, natural textiles, fashion brands and other items

The Ecogoods exposition is a salon for organic and environmentally safe products labeled “organic”, “bio” and “eco friendly”.

The exhibition as a whole was built around the interaction between eco and halal. The organizers and participants emphasise that Halal products are not only goods that are allowed by Islam and which had passed special additional control, but also comply with the standards of environmental friendliness, safety and naturalness. Conversely, many categories of products that meet the above standards can be considered halal.

For example, the company “Halal Cosmetics” LLC, which announced the brand “Alif” at the exhibition, produces a halal line of care products for the body and hair that are not tested on animals.

The company from Pakistan S AMDEN & Co has been producing for decades the wide range of natural food and cosmetic oils under the SAC brand, including the oil of black cumin, popular among the connoisseurs of health, and also special oil for the beard.

Cosmetics for body care, namely the brand of halal soap from Kazakhstan was presented by the company Sulu Group, based in Kazan. In the production of soap, only natural ingredients are used, the company focuses on halal and organic standards.

Exhibition Made In Syria – a debut platform for Moscow

Almost one hundred businessmen from Syria took part in the exhibition and presented their products at the exposition “Made in Syria”. This exposition was organized under the patronage of the Chamber of Commerce of Damascus and with the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia and the Federal Agency for Nationalities Affairs. On an area of more than 500 square meters Syrian companies introduced food brands and textiles, offering potential Russian partners uniquely attractive prices.

The organizers of the exhibition are confident that such kind of cooperation will develop and expand and will help in restoring the war-torn economy of the country.

On the third day of the exhibition, a round table on the development of Russian-Syrian trade and economic cooperation was held to summarize the results of the Made in Syria debut exposition. The event was attended by the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Syrian Arab RepublicH.E. Mr. Riyad Haddad, the representative of the Board of Trustees of the Exhibition Mr. Sultan Hamzaev, the CEO of Alif Consult LLC Mr. Kirill Skogorev, the representatives of the Damascus Chamber of Commerce and Syrian businessmen.

Indonesian designers presented their collections in Moscow

Made in Indonesia exposition brought together active entrepreneurs, authors of unique brands and designers from Indonesia who are looking for new business opportunities in the Russian market.

Over 40 brands were represented within the exposition – manufacturers of clothes, watches, accessories from textiles and natural batik. The companies showed an original design, a stylish combination of natural textiles with unique fittings and by competitive prices, due to which it can be expected that in the near future Indonesian clothing brands will push the Russian cloth-ing manufacturers for Muslim women and amateur oversize-silhouettes.

The Indonesian watch brand G.Woods presented an innovative product and drew attention to its business model which combines social entrepreneurship and ecology. The products have a high-quality chronograph, stainless steel case and durable “sapphire” glass, which provides moisture and shock resistance. The watch bracelet G.Woods is made of strong type of wood, specially planted on empty lands in Indonesia. Thus, the manufacturer promotes the greening of wasteland and providing the rural population with work and income. Part of the funds from each item of the product is spent on investing in new plantations of trees. A special application allows to determine the origin of the trees from which it was made using the barcode on the product.

A new fashion brand was presented by Sergey Romanovich, a famous Russian actor who converted to Islam. Exclusive line of the brand BORZ, made in cooperation with the designer house by Arapkhanovs, was presented to the guests of the exhibition.

Moreover, within the framework of the master class, Sergey shared his advice on promoting the instagram account and increasing the volume of sales through social media.

Halal and Eco Certification – an important basis for the market development

“The venues like this forum give an opportunity, through the interaction of market participants, to discuss practical issues that are of concern to the business community, to assess the level of demand for certain services, to bring new solutions to the existing problems and challenges on the agenda.” – Mr. Oleg Nikolaev, a member of the State Duma of Russia, noted in his greeting word.

Within the framework of the exhibition the international forum HALFOOD “Halal and eco products market: certification, sales, export, investments” was held. At the forum, topical and important issues concerning business in Russia and abroad were discussed.

Halal certification, of course, remains a key topic for the market participants. After all, it depends on which certification body a company has chosen, and the degree of recognition of certification and geographical coverage also affects sales.

The key speakers of the certification session were the expert from the international company RACS from Dubai, the marketing director of the company, Mr. Ossama Emam, and the general director of the “Center for halal control and audit” Mr. Dinar Sadykov. Among other speakers at panel discussion are Mr. Kirill Skogorev, the director of Alif Consult LLC, and Mr. Sultan Khamzayev, the founder of the project “Sober Russia”.

The exhibition organizers did not ignore the standards of organic certification. And while the halal producing compaies are familiar with the certification in the halal segment, many guests of the Exhibition learned about the specifics of eco certification for the first time.

Among the experts who gave speeches on the session on eco and organic certification, were Mr. Oleg Mironenko, President of the National Organic Union, Mr. Andrei Lysenkov, director general of the certification company “Organic Expert”, Mr. Ilya Kaletkin, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Arivera Group (Mordovia), Mr. Anatoly Nakaryakov, Executive director of “Savinskaya Niva” (Kaluga region) and Mr. Maxim Ogladkov, director general of LLC “Ugleche Pole. Organic-Market».

Participants in the discussion noted that a consumer of organic products is very educated and understands the difference between organic farming and traditional farming. Representatives of the National Organic Union, who participated in a special session devoted to the topic, provide weekly insights to specialized media that tell about the peculiarities of organic products and conduct active educational activities.

Despite the fact that the Russian market of organic products is at the early stage of development in comparison with European countries, the Russian producers of wild-growing plants are leading in the international market and actively supply their products as raw materials to world famous brands.

In addition, organic producers are now actively working with agrarian institutions to ensure that the educational program allows studying organic farming, and the established agricultural school has moved away from old methods of farming using pesticides and other substances banned by organic farming.

The most important part for halal certification is export to the Muslim countries

Within a specialised focus session the director of Suhool Arabia Mr. Driss Dehby and the mar-keting director of RACS Mr. Ossama Emam told the Russian producers of halal about the cor-rect approach to the certification and distribution of their branded goods in the Gulf countries.

Seminars for business: Halal trends in retail, HORECA and franchising

Within the forum, experienced speakers and market leaders discussed trends in HoReCa, issues of effective access to retail chains and launching a halal franchise.

The trends in halal and eco-food segment were shared by Mr. Alex Rusu, the development director of the Russian Project. Thus, he noted that the trends in world restaurant business in many ways favour the development of halal market: the trend for healthy eating out is growing, there are non-alcoholic bars and other formats of catering aimed at satisfying unique requests in alternative food.

It should be noted that the tasting of halal burgers from the chefs cooked on the equipment presented by the companies “Russian Project” also took place within the exhibition.

Mr. Arthur Tyagichev, the general director of the FoodProfit Company described within a master class how to interact quickly and efficiently with retail chains, even with relatively small-scale production and limited assortment.

The latest world trends in the sphere of franchising were shared by Mr. Vasil Gazizulin, the founder and head of Topfrachise.ru, who provided examples of case studies of franchises for halal business.

One of the promising projects presented at the Exhibition, in terms of developing a franchise network, is Halal Catering, which just a few months ago was launched on the Russian market and has already gained recognition as a professional catering service with the halal menu.

This year the company acted as a catering partner of the exhibition, offering its treats for VIP guests of the exhibition.

Islamic finance: how to get partnership financing?

Special attention of entrepreneurs was directed to sessions on Islamic finance and investments. This year, the best and only experts of the Islamic finance of Russia – Mr. Rustam Sagdeev, the CEO of Amal Financial House (Kazan), Mr. Murad Aliskerov, Foundr and CEO of “LaRiba-Finance” the company, Mr. Ahmed Arsaev, director for development of the “Sheikh Zayed Foundation for the Support of Entrepreneurship and innovation “(Grozny) – were speaking at the event. The session-presentation of the Islamic financial services available on the market was held with the support of the All-Russian Public Organization “Delovaya Rossiya” (Business Russia). Mr. Renat Edikhanov, the head of the branch department for Islamic finance of “Business Russia” spoke about the first pilot issue of sukuk in Russia and how Russian companies and financial organizations can share this experience.

The first session of the module on Islamic finance was devoted to the conditions for the proper establishment of relations with partners and investors. AAOIFI certified Shariah expert Mr. Bulat Mulyukov generalized these conditions. Examples from the practice based on his experience were shared by the general director of “LaRiba-Finance” Mr. Murad Aliskerov.

How to protect your brand and business, without infringement of the law and the Shariah?

It’s not a secret that for halal business the issue of protecting the brand from copying is extremely important. Copying ideas, logos, and brand names occur every so often. The project of Halal Expo is not an exception, part of the name of which is not subject to patenting and is actively used by regional platforms of a lower scale, often misinforming the companies. To avoid confusion and to separate the expo platform from competitors, Alif Consult LLC, the organizer of the Halal exhibition in Moscow in 2018, announced the new brands of the Exhibition – Halfood and Ecogoods, having registered them as trademarks, and invited experts from this area – the heads of «Uskov and partners» law firm, Ms. Svetlana Uskova and Mr. Vadim Uskov, to tell the entrepreneurs of the halal sphere how to effectively protect their brand from copying and imitation.

Private detective Mr. Evgeny Gvozdev gave a master class on how to protect one’s finances from unscrupulous debtors, as well as how to find the stolen goods and provide security in business.

The participants and guests of the exhibition continued communicating and exchanging views at the dinner, by the invitation of the organizers, at the Moscow elite halal restaurant “Taj Mahal”.

The best halal products announced in the framework of Halfood 2018

Within the framework of the exhibition the annual contest “The Best Halal Product of the Year” took place. According to the results of the contest, the company “ECO Halal” won the category of halal poultry, where the prize was won by the product “chicken wings smoked”, in the nomination the best stewed product the company “LEZZET”, won the first place for its product stewed turkey, and in the nomination the best tea prize was won by the company “Eternity Group”, namely for the SA MAWI brand tea “Red China”. The company “Zhaina” from Chechnya has won the “Best halal product” in the category “Semi-smoked serverlat”. Also, the title “Best halal product” was also given to Lactomarin, a see grass food product from the Okhotsk Sea, aimed at improving health.