With a focus on expanding markets in Central America, Business Connection Guatemala brought Brazilian companies together with strategic buyers from the region during an event held on May 8 in Guatemala City. The initiative is part of the Brazilian Renderers project — a partnership between ABRA and the Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) — and received institutional support from the Embassy of Brazil in Guatemala.
Conducted in a hybrid format, the event featured the presence of the Brazilian Renderers team on-site in Guatemala, leading the agenda and providing support to member companies participating remotely from Brazil. The program also benefited from the engagement of Brazilian authorities, including Counselor Ruy de Freitas Ciarlini and Manuel Hurtado from the Trade Promotion Sector (SECOM) of the Embassy, whose involvement was essential in strengthening commercial ties.
Ten Brazilian companies participating in the Brazilian Renderers project presented their industries and products during the event, highlighting their production capabilities, quality standards, and export potential — increasing the visibility of the sector and fostering connections with the Central American market.
Following the presentations, business matchmaking sessions brought Brazilian companies face-to-face with potential buyers. Representatives from the five largest Guatemalan companies attended, expressing interest in building closer relationships with Brazilian suppliers.
Beyond the business meetings, a key topic of discussion was the support of local importers in engaging with Krista Polanco, Director of Animal Health at VISAR-MAGA, to initiate the approval process for Brazilian establishments and finalize the sanitary agreement between Brazil’s MAPA and Guatemala’s MAGA.
The event concluded with a lunch hosted by REAM, offering an international networking opportunity that reinforced the sector’s commitment to global expansion.
Brazilian Renderers
Since 2012, ABRA and ApexBrasil have promoted the Brazilian Renderers project with the objective of promoting exports from the Animal Rendering sector – meal, fat, blood products and palatabiliy ehancers, and hydrolyzed protein of animal origin. Through participation in fairs, workshops and other special actions of commercial promotion, the projects value attributes of the animal rendering industry and its products – such as quality, health status and sustainability of production – and value the international brands of products, fostering new business for Brazilian exporters.
To learn more visit: brazilianrenderers.com
About ABRA
ABRA is an entity that represents the industries in the animal rendering sector that produce meal, fat, blood products and palatabiliy ehancers, and hydrolyzed protein of animal origin. It is a non-profit entity. It was founded in 2006 and works to promote its members, disseminate actions aimed at the segment, mediate the relationship with other entities and government agencies, in addition to fostering the generation of business in the national and international market.
For more information, visit: abra.ind.br
About ApexBrasil
The Brazilian Trade and Investment Promotion Agency (ApexBrasil) acts to promote Brazilian products and services abroad and attract foreign investments to strategic sectors of the Brazilian economy.
The Agency carries out diversified commercial promotion actions aimed at promoting exports and valuing Brazilian products and services abroad, such as prospective and commercial missions, business rounds, support for the participation of Brazilian companies in large international fairs, and visits by foreign buyers and opinion-makers to know the Brazilian productive structure, among other business platforms that also aim to strengthen the Brazil brand. ApexBrasil also acts in a coordinated manner with public and private actors to attract foreign direct investments (FDI) to Brazil, focusing on strategic sectors for the development of the competitiveness of Brazilian companies and the country.
To learn more, visit: https://apexbrasil.com.br/