Market Report: Brazil

No doubt for many, if not most, in our industry, Thanksgiving meant turkey, cranberries and the first cold breath of winter. For us, however, it meant churrascaria, feijoada and the coy wink of a summer to come. That's because last week Gifts & Decorative Accessories was on location in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, in the south of Brazil, for the Decima Setima edition of the Brazilian Handicrafts Fair sponsored by Maos de Minas and Instituto CentroCAPE of Brazil. It's a tough job, but someone had to do it.

The November 21–26 event marked the 17th year (decima setima) that Belo Horizonte (pronounced "Bellorizonch") has hosted the Fair, which combines features of a traditional artisan marketplace and a modern gift show. With more than 2,000 artisans either in attendance or represented by vendors, the Brazilian Handicrafts Fair is the largest market of its kind in Latin America.

But what, exactly, is meant by Brazilian handicraft product? Unlike U.S. trade shows, which tend to break down into fairly organized categories, this fair ranges almost as wide as the country itself; a Brazilian handicraft is, in fact, anything made by hand by native artisans. As a result, the market features everything from gourmet candies and liqueurs to textiles, decorative accessories, glassware, cookware, serveware, tabletop, plush, toys, furniture, barware, stoneware, fine art and well, anything that can be made by hand. And with the wealth of resources and creative inspiration available in a country as vast as Brazil, the Fair offers product in such wide-ranging (and often unusual) media as wood, pewter, aluminum, cotton, corn husk, beads, seeds, fish scales, vegetables, papier-mâché, wax and more, making for a dizzying representation of the rich resources (both creative and natural) of the Brazilian artisan.

Traditionally, the handicraft market in Belo Horizonte is the artisans' chance to reach the buying public in advance of the Christmas gift-giving season. This year was no exception. However, in order to encourage artisans to reach beyond their traditional customers, the first day of this year's Fair was open to buyers only. This offered buyers a greater opportunity to see and interact with exhibitors who would become much busier in the following days. Here are a few of the things we saw.

• Our first stop was Hila, a company that manufactures organic fragrances and personal care products. Gel Arnica is an all-natural warming gel (similar to Ben-Gay or Icy Hot) that promises to relax sore muscles and relieve strains. The gel is an extract of the arnica plant, native flora of Brazil. Other products at the Hila booth included organic aromatherapy sprays and lotions.
• At the booth of Feira de Artesanato do Paracuri (a group of artisans from the northern state of Paracuri) we found a clay pitcher and mug set appropriate for the kitchen or garden.
• Capim Dourado is the name of a company that uses capim dourado (literally "golden grass") to create everything from handbags to necklaces and bracelets to wall art and picture frames. The striking natural radiance of the grass makes an ornament out of any object, and lends warmth to the space around it. Our translator, Mara Guimaraes, put it best when she said: "When a woman puts on capim dourado, she glows with it."
• At Shamar Arte, blown-glass candleholders are created with a fishbowl theme. The contents of the "bowl" glow when the candle is lit.
• A decorative sculpture from Alembiques Santa Efegenia shows the distillation of cachaca, the local liquor used in caipirinhas, the Brazilian national drink. This piece was displayed by a Brazilian gourmet magazine during this year's world cup in Germany. Other products from Alembiques included copper and wooden kitchen accessories and decorative accessories.
• Serralheria Sanjoanense (literally "the woodworking studio in the city of Sanjoan") produces everything from wall hangings and picture frames to chairs and large furniture pieces (though these were not displayed at the Fair). In addition, Serralheria makes Namoradeira, a popular item in many booths at the Fair. Namoradeiras, which are meant to be displayed on the window sill, depict a woman with her hand to her cheek, gazing at passersby in an effort to attract attention. The word namoradeira can be roughly translated as "the flirter."
• Several larger booths at the Fair showcased consortia of artisans from a particular region of Brazil. The Sebrae Amazonas booth included the work of 47 artisans from the region of the Amazon River, in the north of Brazil. Product included everything from personal care and cosmetics to accent furniture and kitchenware.

Avive, one of the companies within the group, offers Amazonian essential oils and natural cosmetics, all produced without degrading the rain forest. The organization also supports ecological projects involving aromatic and endangered plants such as the Brazilian Rosewood tree.

For the complete Brazil Report, visit www.giftsanddec.com and click on "Direct From Market."