The Australian state of Victoria has hosted a ‘Taste the Flavour of Victoria’ showcase at Expo 2020 Dubai to promote its premium food and beverage products to the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region.

In 2019-2020, the MEA region received almost AUD $1b of food and fibre from Victoria, with meat, grain and dairy the most significant exports.

“The MEA region continues to be a vitally important part of the world for us and we are delighted to be showcasing our food and beverage offerings once again to this dynamic market which has grown to love the best that Victoria has to offer,” said GönülSerbest, CEO, Global Victoria.

“Through long-term vision and trusted relationships built on mutual respect, Victoria has successfully achieved growth in food and beverage exports into this region over the past decade.

“We are excited to continue to enhance this even further, particularly as we emerge from the impact of COVID-19 and the global supply chain challenges.”

As home to some of the world’s highest quality food products, Victoria is Australia’s largest food and fibre exporter.

Victoria is a Platinum Partner of the Australia Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai and used the event, which was timed with Gulfood 2022, to not only reconnect with the MEA region, but to also re-connect with the global economy.

“Hosting this event at the Australian Pavilion has provided a fantastic opportunity to introduce even more businesses to the high-quality produce Victorian exporters have to offer,” added Serbest.

“It is also an opportunity to thank all our food stakeholders and buyers in the MEA region for importing Victorian food and beverage products for the past 25 years.”

The Taste the Flavour event included live cooking stations and was a networking opportunity for partners and industry figures who were interested in collaborating with Victoria’s food and beverage sector.