Shahm Dahhan, a public relations leader of Dakka Kadima olive soap company, shows two soap bars in the company's showroom in Aleppo province, northern Syria, Nov. 24, 2019. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)
A leading Syrian soap maker is aspiring to have a strong presence in China's market with natural ingredients as its selling point.
by Hummam Sheikh Ali
ALEPPO, Syria, Dec. 14 (Xinhua) -- Dakka Kadima, a leading Syrian company trading in natural olive soap and other traditional products, is regarding China as a promising market that will help the company earn higher international fame.
The Aleppo-based company, whose name is a traditional term in Arabic that usually refers to old and traditional things, manufactures various kinds of olive soap, some with Oud aroma, others with locally known fragrances that represent the traditional perfumes of the Arab countries in general and Syria in particular.
During a visit to the company's showroom, which is located in a renovated Arabic-style house in the old city of Aleppo, various products were neatly put together in the room, ranging from shampoos, body splashes to a dozen types of olive soap.
Dakka Kadima took part in the 2nd China International Import Expo (CIIE) held from Nov. 5 to Nov. 10 at the National Exhibition and Convention Center in Shanghai.
For this Syrian company, the expo was a powerful opportunity to showcase and promote its products to a broader segment of Chinese consumers and businesses.
Shahm Dahhan (L), a public relations leader of Dakka Kadima olive soap company, speaks with the company's marketing agent Tarek al-Shami in the company's showroom in Aleppo province, northern Syria, Nov. 24, 2019. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)
Shahm Dahhan, a public relations leader of Dakka Kadima, told Xinhua that his company is aspiring to have a strong presence in the Chinese market.
"We aspire to have big exports to the Chinese market and this would be considered a very successful deal. We have so far seen a good turnout by the Chinese people to buy our products," he said.
According to Dahhan, the company's selling point is the natural ingredients it uses to manufacture the soap and other products.
Such natural sources attract the Chinese customers who always love nature and opt to get products from natural sources, he noted.
The weather in Syria, particularly in Aleppo, makes the olive soap a successful industry in the country, and Aleppo has become the best place to manufacture the olive soap, where a year of processing is needed to get an olive soap ready for use, Dahhan said.
Dakka Kadima has exported its olive soap to many countries including France, Iraq, Algeria, Lebanon and the Gulf states, he added.
Tarek al-Shami, a marketing agent of Dakka Kadima, told Xinhua that the company's slogan Return to Nature and the 100-percent natural products are welcome in China.
Soap bars reading "Aleppo Soap, Dakka Kadima" are seen showcased in Dakka Kadima olive soap company in Aleppo province in northern Syria on Nov.24, 2019. (Xinhua/Ammar Safarjalani)
"Our participation in the CIIE is considered the gate for our product to reach the international level and this is the goal of the company," he said. ■
