12 CATALAN COMPANIES JOIN PRODECA IN THE INTERNATIONAL CATALAN BREAKFAST PROJECT

The Department of Climate Action, Food and Rural Agenda, through Prodeca, has organised the Catalan Breakfast initiative, presented on Saturday at the Marriott chain's Grand Hotel Stay in Dubai (United Arab Emirates). Its aim is to promote Catalan products and gastronomy in internationally prestigious hotels by adding signposted stations to the hotel's breakfast buffet with pa amb tomàquet as the central dish. 

Catalan Breakfast will continue through 2022, expanding to new 4 and 5-star establishments around the world . As well as featuring in the breakfast station of participating hotels and getting the chance to reach new customers in the hotel segment, the Catalan companies selected for this initiative will appear on the website to be launched shortly alongside all the hotels associated with the project. 

Pa amb tomàquet, Catalonia's culinary ambassador

The Catalan Breakfast project was presented at the Marriott chain's Grand Hotel Stay, the first hotel to join the initiative, and featured a dozen Catalan agri-food companies. These producers, which hold Halal certification recognised in the United Arab Emirates, thus join Stay Emirates Marriott's purchasing portfolio. The initiative has been followed up by Prodeca in collaboration with its United Arab Emirates office, Group Hebany, which works with Prodeca identifying business opportunities in the region for the Catalan agri-food sector. 

The participating companies were:

• AIGUA SANT ANIOL, waters
• ANXOVES DE L'ESCALA, anchovies
• BOMBONS CUDIÉ, catànies
• COFFEE CENTER, coffees and teas
• EL ABANICO HALAL, halal cooked and cured meats
• EUROPASTRY, bread
• MAS ALBIO – TGT, artisan cheese
• MEL MURIA, honey
• OLIS SOLÉ, extra virgin olive oil
• PERELLÓ, pulses, olives
• SUQUIPÀ, preserved vegetables
• VDA PIFARRÉ, candied fruits

The Catalan Breakfast presentation included a tasting of dishes such as pa amb tomàquet with extra virgin olive oil accompanied by halal cooked and cured beef, turkey, chicken and lamb, artisan cheese, anchovies and escalivada, lentil salad with onion, tomato and olive oil, chickpeas with hard-boiled egg, Catalan-style beans and an assortment of olives, honey, catànies and candied fruits.