100 Tunisian firms taking part in WCC Doha exhibition

A Tunisian pavilion at the ICC WCF 8th World Chambers Congress Exhibition in Doha.

Some 100 exhibitors from Tunisia comprising handicraft makers, potters, and hand-knitted rugs makers are showcasing their products at an exhibition being held as part of the ICC WCF 8th World Chambers Congress in Doha.

“We came here with different sectors to showcase Tunisia, which is a well-known handicraft sourcing country and has been a rich culture for centuries,” said Faouzi Bouden, chief marketing officer, La Rose Des Sables, said.

The companies have brought to the exhibition many industrialised skills including in sanitary industry, which is competing with the biggest brands in the world.

“We also have tiles, cutleries, and agri-food industry. We have more than 80mn olive trees in Tunisia, which makes us number one in the olive oil production industry ... unfortunately, the marketing is not good in Tunisia as most of the olive oil originating from Tunisia are labelled ‘made in Italy’,” he said.

However, Bouden said, there is a new generation of Tunisian businessmen who are now re-branding and putting the ‘made in Tunisia’ label on the olive oil and other products including agricultural products from Tunisia.

“We also have a huge heritage of mosaic, which can be considered as handicraft but it is very useful for building and construction,” he added.

Tableware from La Rose Des Sables, a partnership between Tunisia and French, is also being showcased at the pavilion.

“A local company - Tunisian Porcelain - is being recognised in Europe and we are proud to be succeeding in our business with up to 70% of the market and we are hoping to also have a similar presence here in the Gulf,” Bouden said, adding that last week, the company was also nominated for Novelty Award in Chicago as one of the top 10 porcelain producing companies in the world.

“We are hoping to make more connections within Qatar and the entire region … our aim is to be available at all exhibitions everywhere across the world,” he added.