VISITUS - Food Business Gulf & Middle East

EditorMatt Matthews18Associate EditorsJessie JorgeAndrew ThomasSub EditorMegha Marie MattGraphic DesignerAleena Susan John24NEWS PAGE 04WOP PREVIEW PAGE 18SWEETS & SNACKS PREVIEW PAGE 20Sales ManagerPaul ThomasProduction ManagerAbdul ShareefSIAL MIDDLE EAST PREVIEW PAGE 22DATE PALM FESTIVAL PREVIEW PAGE 24DDTE PREVIEW PAGE 26ContributorsNeville J. ChandlerP.K. JamesShakeeb Kolakadan31UAE UPDATE PAGE 28ARGENTINE UPDATE PAGE 30DAIRY PRODUCTS PAGE 32BEVERAGES PAGE 34Cover photo courtesyKhalifa International Date Palm AwardHead OfficeMatt Media International Ltd.Woodgreen, London N22 5AR, UKE-mail: gulfag@emirates.net.aeWeb site: www.foodbusinessgulf.com4840MEAT PRODUCTS PAGE 36SWEETS & SNACKS PAGE 38DATES PAGE 42Middle East OfficeAl Saad Advertising & Publishing LLC.P O Box 25694,Sharjah, UAETel:+971 6 5639494Fax:+971 6 5639449E-mail: gulfag@emirates.net.aeFood Business Gulf & Middle East isdesigned to serve the fast growing Food,Fresh Produce, Ingredients, Bakery, Hotel,Hypermarkets, Restaurants & Cateringindustries in the Gulf and Middle Eastregion by providing the expert informationto our readers in our four comprehensiveissues in a year. It is circulated through outMiddle East region and world wide inaddition to the extra distribution at variousfood, catering & hotel events, fresh andperishable shows. The magazine provideseditorial coverage on a wide range of topicswhich are of interest to industryprofessionals.Food Business Gulf & Middle East is a sisterpublication of Gulf Agriculture.Printed & published byMatt Media © Intl. Ltd.(U.K.) 2012OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

6NEWSl each), the Finns (37.8 l) and the British (35.3l, Euromonitor). The industry is backing drinkswith added benefits, e.g. “for healthy cells”,“for the concentration”, “for nerves andmuscles” or “for a healthy heart”. Fresh-pressedand - their special feature - non-pasteurized fruitjuices that are said to retain all vitamins,nutrients and minerals are also in line with thehealth trend.New logistic installation forAstra faamIn the year 2005 MPS Food Logistic Systemsautomated the intra logistic requirements at thepremises of Astra Faam. Located in the northernpart of the Netherlands, Astra Faam (memberof the Astra Sweets Group) produces thefamous “Frisia marshmallows”, and can berecognised as being market leader in its field ofsweets production and sales.The Frisia marshmallow sweets are producedfrom mainly glucose, gelatine and sugar.By the end of last year the core part (heart)of the production, all packaging area and thedynamic buffer storage at Astra was destroyedin a fire. All production came to a “stand-still”and urgent replacement of productionequipment and the intra logistics was needed.As MPS Food LogisticSystems and also MPS Service & Spares wewere asked for help and assistance inrebuilding the temporary and final productionincluding the realisation with updated intralogistic systems and warehousing.Marshmallows are produced in continuousbatch processes. Due to the differences inproduct flavours, sweets shape and colours itneeds to dry and being stored for a few daysand can be mixed only during the moment ofpackaging in its bag packing.The difficulty here with this kind of productand production is thus how these humiditysensitive products can be stored withoutdeforming and being sorted by batch.Second difficulty is how can, depending onthe customer requirements, products beretrieved from the ware housing's dynamicbuffer and mixed in a just-in-time processwithout causing downtime in the automaticmixing and packaging units.By knowing the open products since 2005and the need of products to be transported andstored in a dry and hygienic environment, MPSFood Logistic Systems made use of its years ofexperience with open food products in themeat, poultry, dairy, cheese and fast food /snack industry.Insuring the products can be dried and keptdry a continuous airflow around the products isneeded. By using open plastic crates withmazes in side walls and by storing the cratesindividually in an open dynamic buffer store,multiple functions for realising an optimalproduct could be combined. The products arestored in humidity and temperature controlledenvironment. The design of the crate bufferstorage is such that continuous air flow aroundthe open crates is guaranteed.This thus takes care of the proper productdrying in all places of the rack. Another benefitof using this method of storing products by thebatch control with a FIFO (First in - First out)principle.Each crate has its own electronicidentification tag (unique number identification)sealed into the crates (RFID). The product andproduction data is combined with the crate IDand used as data-point in the WMSWarehouse Management System. Each cratenow has its own (temporary) place within thecrate buffer storage.FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

NEWS 7Based on customer orders for deliveries, thepackaging department needs a specificcombination of products at a limited specifiedtime. Both time and sequence are determent bythe WMS system, based on the productionplanning. The IT department of MPS developedand integrated a WMS / MES software layer,which translates the requirements in packing, isspecific retrieve orders at the buffer storage.This WMS system is capable of feedingsufficient “raw materials” for each of the 12packaging lines! The correct combination ofproducts is collected from the buffer storageand transported automatically to the individualpackaging lines.All equipment and conveyor systems arespecially developed and designed for use in amaximum hygienic environment as knownwithin the food industry. Specific for this projectof Astra Faam, additional measures had to betaken to coop with the production pollutions likeextreme sugar, corn and flour dust. Not onlythe “dust” impact on drives and limit switchessensors has been recognised, but also themethod of cleaning is important and has beentaken care off.To avoid product contamination all cratesneed to be dry, clean and free of productbefore it is used for a next cycle.Taking in mind the extreme dust conditions,MPS designed a robust empty crate scanner foridentifying the tray at the scanner location.Using dynamic measuring methods we are ableto work on an “inline” system which controlsthe crates while being in motion. All designinsuring a 100% inspection of each tray beforefilling its next cycle.Continuous monitoring of the complete systeminsures efficient and faultless production with asystem “uptime” guaranteed of > 98.5%. Theon-line 24/7 support system by VPN andhelpdesk follows the system status, enabling thehelpdesk crew at MPS to assist and taking overtasks from the technical staff at Astra Faam eachmoment of the production, when the Astramanagement requires us to act so.Astra Faam and MPS Food Logistic Systemsare very proud to have been able to completethis complex project within the short timeframeavailable. MPS Food Logistic Systems B.V., oneof the business units of MPS meat processingsystems, is supplier of food logistic systems.More information can be found on our websitewww.mps-group.nlOCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST

8NEWSDuPont Nutrition & Health OffersNew Probiotic Solution forImmune Health in AdultsA successful human clinical trial was carriedout in Australia to see if the positive resultsobtained on children could also be observed inadults.HOWARU® Protect has shown in adults:◗ A significant reduction in the number of daysexperiencing common cold and flu-associatedsymptoms◗ A strong trend in the reduction of cold and flumedication use◗ A trend toward the reduction rate of chestillness symptom episodesThe study recruited 263 randomizedhealthy physically active adults who receivedeither HOWARU® Protect or a placebo for150 days. The health status and the level ofphysical activity of the volunteers weremonitored over the course of the study. Thestudy was conducted by the AustralianInstitute of Sport and by Griffith University,Australia. The positive results of this newstudy in healthy adults support and build onthe previously published outstanding resultson children.DuPont Danisco® is the brand for a rangeof products that help provide enhancedbioprotection, an improved nutritional profileand better taste and texture with greater costefficiency and lower environmental impact,meeting the needs of manufacturers of foodand beverages, dietary supplements and petfood. Through the work of the global networkof food scientists and technologists in DuPont,the Danisco® range is supported by a uniquelybroad spectrum of know-how acrossapplications and processing.DuPont Nutrition & Health addresses theworld's challenges in food by offering a widerange of sustainable, bio-based ingredients andadvanced microbial diagnostic solutions toprovide safer, healthier and more nutritiousfood. Through close collaboration withcustomers, DuPont combines knowledge andexperience with a passion for innovation todeliver unparalleled customer value to themarketplace.DuPont (NYSE: DD) has been bringingworld-class science and engineering to theglobal marketplace in the form of innovativeproducts, materials and services since 1802.The company believes that by collaboratingwith customers, governments, NGOs andthought leaders, we can help find solutions tosuch global challenges as providing enoughhealthy food for people everywhere,decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, andprotecting life and the environment.For additional information about DuPont and itscommitment to inclusive innovation, please visithttp://www.dupont.comFOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

NEWS 9Arab imports from Brazil reach $3.6 bnin H1 2012 while exports to Braziltotal nearly $4 bnArab countries imported more than $3.6 billion worth ofgoods from Brazil during the first half of 2012, while Arabexports to Brazil reached nearly $4 billion during thesame period, reaffirming the importance of Brazil as a keytrade partner of the Arab world. Brazilian exports to Arabcountries mainly consisted of sugars, meat, ores, slag, ashand cereals, while Arab exports to Brazil included mineralfuel, oil and fertilizers.According to the Arab-Brazilian Chamber ofCommerce, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the region'slargest economy, remains the leading trade partner ofBrazil in the Arab world. KSA had more than $720million in imports and over $1.4 billion in exports toBrazil during the first half of 2012. The UAE has alsobeen a major trade partner of Brazil with more than$489 million in imports and over $65.6 million inexports. Egypt ranks second among top Arab importers ofBrazilian products with more than $674 million in importsin the first half of 2012, while Egyptian exports to Braziltotaled over $40 million.Other top Arab trade partners of Brazil include Qatarand Kuwait, which exported products to Brazil worth inexcess of $362 million and $337 million, respectively. Onthe other hand, Qatar and Kuwait imported products fromBrazil worth more than $80 million and $64 million,respectively, during the first six months of 2012.Michel Alaby, CEO, Arab-Brazilian Chamber ofCommerce, said: “Trade activities between Brazil andthe Arab world will continue to expand as Braziliantraders and their Arab counterparts are activelyexploring new opportunities for mutual growth. Thesuccess of matchmaking events being organized by theArab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce underlines thegrowing interest of Arab markets in Brazilian products.Moreover, the Arab world will continue to be a majorsource of mineral fuel, oil and even aluminium productsthat are vital in sustaining the growth of the Brazilianeconomy. The Arab-Brazilian Chamber of Commerceremains fully committed with its mission to cultivategreater interaction between Brazilian and Arabcompanies and unlock more exciting prospects that willfurther expand and strengthen the economic tiesbetween these key trading partners.”Other prominent exports from Brazil to various Arabmarkets include machinery, grains, seed and fruit products,inorganic chemicals and rare earth metals, fats and oils,natural pearls and stones, spices, coffee and tea. Arabexports to Brazil, on the other hand, also include plasticproducts, aluminium, inorganic chemicals and rare earthmetals, electrical machinery, glass and glassware, fish andseafood, and woven apparel.OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST

10NEWSIshida Solution helps open upnew snack opportunityIshida Europe has developed a versatile mixweighingsolution for Benelux frozen snacksmarket leader Ad van Geloven for theintroduction of a new product range in theimportant savoury snacks market.In many European countries, frozen snacksthat can be heated in minutes in an oven,frying pan or air-fryer are very popular asappetisers and for meeting unexpecteddemand from family or guests. Ad vanGeloven has now introduced 'Funmix' under itswell-known Mora brand, a range of mixedsnacks that offer consumers the added value ofvariety within a single pack.The product is packed in an attractive standupbag to create maximum impact in glassfrontedfreezer cabinets. For consumerconvenience, the bag is also resealable. Inorder to ensure that every pack contains thesame number of each variety - the 426g bagfor example features six pieces of four differentproducts - the company selected an Ishidamultihead weigher in a four mix version.At the same time, as well as delivering thenew Mora mixture range into two differenttypes of bag, the weigher also needed to beable to handle single products at high speedand have the facility to weigh mixtures of thecompany's other brands into windowed boxes.The Ishida solution adopted at Ad vanGeloven's Tilburg factory is based around thecompany's 20-head advanced R Seriesweigher. In addition to the weigher, the workcarried out or supervised by Ishida includedgantry construction, conveyors and a feedsystem to deliver product from the existing flowfreezer.In its mix-weighing set up, each section ofthe machine acts as an individual weigher,allowing the different items in the mix to begiven a specific target weight to ensure thatthe final product contains exactly the rightproportion.The new line also meets every demand interms of versatility. In order to change packformats, for example, operators roll thebagmaker forward about a metre, enablingthe weigher to fill the windowed boxesinstead of bags.Fast cleaning of the feeding and weighingequipment requires washdown with water. Theinstallation was therefore designed so that thejunctions between the upper levels and thebagmaker can be sealed off with watertightcovers.Ishida collaborated closely with thebagmaker manufacturer and other suppliers inorder to ensure that the entire line was up andrunning within two weeks.“All parties worked during the summerholiday period in order to ensure that ourproduction was not disrupted,” explains Albertvan der Vliet, Head of Technical Services.“We saw a market opportunity and both theequipment and the service from Ishida helpedus to exploit it,” he concludes.MBLM launches social campaignto promote local waterMBLM, an agency focused on creatinggreater intimacy between people, brandsand technology, has launched the “I DrinkLocal” initiative. The initiative aims to bringattention to the fact that many restaurantsand cafes in the UAE do not serve localbrands of bottled water.Observes Jae Hwang, partner at MBLM,“We began to notice that local water was notavailable in many of the establishments weFOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

NEWS11visited, whether they were five star restaurants or fast-foodjoints. Naturally, that got our team thinking about how wecould bring about a change for the better.”By combining MBLM's experience in brand building andtechnology, the agency conceived the “I Drink Local”initiative and created a website (www.idrinklocal.com) tosupport it. “In a fun and engaging way, we wanted toencourage the UAE community to ask for local water. The siteprovides facts and observations about why switching tolocally bottled water and insisting on locally bottled waterbrands can bring about a positive impact on ourcommunity,” explains William Shintani, partner at MBLM.Visitors to the site can pledge their support for theinitiative, search for establishments that serve local water andindividually add locations where local water is not available.With Facebook and Twitter integrated into the site, MBLMhopes to create a grassroots groundswell to bring about areal change in the community.FRUIT LOGISTICA 2013 rolls outthe red carpetExhibitors at FRUIT LOGISTICA 2013 who have introducedan exceptional innovation to the market between 1November 2011 and 31 October 2012 are invited to applyfor the industry's most coveted innovation award. FLIA ishighly acclaimed amongst industry experts and receiveswidespread coverage in the international media. The awardwill be presented in 2013 for the eighth time by Messe Berlinand FRUCHTHANDEL MAGAZINE (Dusseldorf).FLIA recognises outstanding innovations in the freshproduce sector and spotlights new products or services thathave had clearly a positive impact on the market. Bydefinition, the key characteristics of an innovation areoriginality and superiority over conventional products orservices. Exhibitors at FRUIT LOGISTICA 2013 who feel theirproducts or services meet these criteria are invited to submitan online application for the award by 23 November 2012.A panel of experts will select this year's ten mostsignificant innovations from the submitted entries andnominate them for the FLIA. These innovations will bepresented at FRUIT LOGISTICA 2013 in a special exhibitionarea. More than 55,000 expected trade visitors from 130countries will have a chance to vote for the innovation of theyear during the first two days of the trade fair FRUITLOGISTICA 2013 (6-8 February).Previous FLIA winners include “Salanova” lettuce producedby Rijk Zwaan (2006), “Vitamini's” vegetable snack producedby FresQ/Rainbow Growers Group (2007), the “Intense”beef tomato from Nunhems Netherlands BV (2008), the“Sweet Green Pepper” produced by Enza Zaden (2009), the“Arils Removal Tool (ART)” developed by Mehadrin TnuportExport (2010), the “Limeburst Finger Limes” citrus fruit fromAustralia (2011) and the "Angelo" miniature sweet pepperproduced by Syngenta Seeds B.V. (2012).OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST

12NEWSHalal Food Middle East -The countdown beginsThe countdown has started for the highlyanticipated international Halal-certified foodproducts exhibition — Halal Food Middle East.The show has succeeded in generatingtremendous interest within the regional andglobal Halal industry owing to its global launchin Kuala Lumpur and promotional activitiesacross key markets.The industry has much to expect from the showdue to its potential to become a one-stop-shop forfacilitating and sourcing Halal food products.The biggest advantage the Halal Food MEwill offer you is the uniqueness of the platform -it will be held in a region that is mainly Muslimand is close to several countries with largeMuslim population such as those in the Indiansub-continent and the CIS.Moreover, all Islamic countries as well asthose nations with large Muslim populations willlook up to Halal Food ME as an event hostedin an Islamic country that is also the CulturalCapital of the Islamic World for 2014. It is alsodesignated as the Cultural Capital of the ArabWorld by UNESCO.This will ensure that Halal ME will have aready local and regional market, promisingexhibitors from Halal consuming and producingcountries a conducive atmosphere to do business.The Halal industry lacks a common globalstandard and currently oversight of Halalcertification is carried out by religious bodies ineach market. Due to differing Halal standardsnot only between countries but also within eachcountry owing to the presence of various Halalauthorities, a common certification process isyet to be drawn up.Key differences are over issues such asgelatine, food flavourings, animal enzymes,phosphates, mechanical slaughter, stunning ofanimals and the usage of thoracic stick.The lack of a unified procedure has affectedthe industry players most, and has beendescribed as the main reason that holds backthe fast growth of the industry.The convergence of leading industry playersand Halal certification bodies from across theworld will offer a platform that can chart out aplan to agree on a single global Halal standard.A two-day conference to be held alongsideHalal Food ME will be another enrichingexperience for the industry. The conference willdiscuss and analyze the industry in the areas suchas global outlook for the industry, opportunities inthe Middle East and North African countries,certification standards, food testing, processing,packing and logistics requirements.The conference will feature speakers who areexperts in their respective field of trade or serviceand are able to present their topics with utmostclarity and ease. They will include professionals,experts and businessmen who have made aname for themselves in Halal industry.More than 1.6 billion or about 23 per centof the world population are Muslims, whoremain the core market for Halal food products,indicating that Halal products, which currentlyaccount for roughly 5 per cent of total agri-foodtrade, could soon grow to account for 20% ofworld food trade.Halal food is also gaining popularity amongconsumers for a range of different reasons, suchas increasing health consciousness, fuelling thepopularity of Halal food among consumers notaffiliated with the religion.Due to strict slaughtering and processingstandards for meat and other food products,Halal foods can also appeal to consumerconcerns and perceptions for humane animaltreatment, lactose or gluten-free products, or thedesire for products seen as healthier and safer.Travelling Muslims are also creating a marketfor Halal products across the world.The launch edition of Halal Food ME will be acomprehensive platform for facilitating andsourcing the sale and purchase of food andrelated products that conform to the Shariah law.It will be the largest show of its kind in theregion featuring Halal producers, traders anddistributers from across the world offering excellentdeals on a range of products. It will also be aninternational platform to explore and discussemerging technologies, new markets, trends,issues and challenges facing the Halal industry.The show will feature Shariah-compliant foodand beverages, bakery and confectionaries, brothproducts, food ingredients, frozen food, healthproducts, herbs and spices, legumes & cereals,nuts and seeds, pastas and noodles, processed &seafood, snacks, and fruits & vegetables.It will be a must-visit event for manufacturers,trade consulates, importers, trade associations,distributors, trade consultants, wholesalers,hoteliers, exporters, restaurateurs, retailers,departmental stores, traders, investors, ministries,fund managers, government institutions, agentsand embassies.FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

14NEWSThe Halal Congress Middle East 2012 will beheld alongside Halal Food Middle East at ExpoCentre Sharjah from December 10-12, 2012.Halal Congress will be an internationalgathering for food producers, exporters &importers, dealers and distributors and industrystalwarts to share up-to-date information on Halalproducts; discuss issues & challengers; exploreopportunities; evaluate compliance, certificationand standards; and look out for investment andjoint venture opportunities in UAE.The Halal Congress will help trade visitorsrub shoulders with leading players in theindustry and network with international industryexperts and government officials.SEAFEX set to net strong demandfrom region's hospitality industryWith fish and seafood a perennial menufavourite in almost every culture around theworld including the Middle East and NorthAfrica (MENA), the region's first dedicatedseafood trade show, SEAFEX, looks set to makewaves when it launches on November 19-21,2012 at the Dubai World Trade Centre.In a multi-billion dollar industry with acurrent annual global output of 145 millionmetric tons of seafood, according to the UnitedNations' Food and Agriculture Organisation,seafood producers are increasingly looking tothe Middle East for business growth.This lucrative market with its diverse mix ofnationalities and cultures has a strongpreference for seafood. The UAE consumesmore than 50kg of fish and seafood productsper capita per year according to AsmakInternational Fish Farming Company while theEmirates Wildlife Society's recent surveys showthat 66% of the UAE population eats fish atleast once a week. Another example of theMiddle East's growing taste for seafoodgastronomy is the 114% growth in 2010 forScottish Salmon, making the UAE the secondfastestgrowing market for the product in theworld. Data from the Scottish Governmentreveals that Scotland has experienced amassive 55% rise in Food and Beverageexports to the UAE, increasing to USD 80million in the first half of 2011.Organised by the Dubai World TradeCentre, with its experienced Gulfood teambringing more than 25 years of expertise,industry knowledge and connections toSEAFEX, the show covers the full spectrum ofthe seafood industry, from the fresh catch to theconsumer's plate, as well as cold storage,shipping and logistics solutions.“Seafood is one of the fastest growingsegments in the global food industry, withseveral of our regional markets in the world'stop 10 in terms of consumption. We aretherefore delighted to be offering a dedicatedand comprehensive platform for both suppliersand buyers to source products, develop newsupply chains and enjoy valuable networkingopportunities at SEAFEX,” said Trixee Loh,Senior Vice President, Dubai World TradeCentre. “Given the team's expertise inorganising Gulfood, the world's largest annualfood trade show, we have no doubt thatSEAFEX will enjoy immediate success infacilitating the showcasing and supply of thisspeciality food for retail, Food & Beverage andthe hospitality industries in our region.”The three-day event will showcase the catchof the day from the world's leading names inthe seafood industry, with confirmedparticipation from over 51 exhibitors and 21national pavilions including Canada, China,Cyprus, Greece, Libya, Morocco, Portugal,Spain, Peru, Singapore, Thailand, Turkey,Yemen, and Vietnam.According to the Vietnam Association ofSeafood Exporters and Producers (VASEP),seafood products shipped to the Middle East haveincreased in value from USD192 million in 2009to USD 258 million in 2011. Vietnam is boostingseafood exports to the UAE, Sudan, Lebanon,Iraq, and Kuwait, and has confirmed that not onlyFOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

NEWSis the UAE the country's largest customer, it also serves as acrucial gateway for transporting goods to other MiddleEastern and North African nations. Vietnam's participationat SEAFEX will further facilitate its fast growing trade.Ha Phuoc Huy, spokesperson for VASEP said:“Seafood exports of VASEP members represent 80percent of the total seafood exports of Vietnam, with theMiddle East one of our most important markets.Participating at SEAFEX Dubai, VASEP is looking tofurther grow the business of the companies represented,as well as to develop relationships and exchangeinformation with Middle East importers and distributors.”Regional distributor Essam Shamaa Seafood expectspositive results from participation at the inaugural event.Production Manager, Sumi Johnson commented: “Webelieve that this will be an excellent event, offering agateway for upcoming companies like ours to operatewith the world and an opportunity to learn about newtrends in the hotel, retail and export trade industries.”In addition to its extensive exhibitor list, SEAFEX hasalso confirmed that it will host 300 of the top influencers,managers and buyers from the UAE, Saudi Arabia,Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen, Iraq, Iran, Tunisia,Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Nigeria and Kenya through aspecially designed hosted buyer programme. Connectingexhibitors with buyers directly, the programme ensures thatexhibitors meet with the right buyers, even before theyarrive at their stand. The show will also feature TheSustainable Skillery Corner - a live cooking station withpreparation and presentation demonstrations that offers anexclusive opportunity to gain insights into preparingobscure and unusual seafood dishes.SEAFEX is conveniently co-located with SpecialityFood Festival, the region's only dedicated gourmet andfine food show for the food and hospitality industry andSweets & Snacks Middle East, the region's onlydedicated showcase for the sweets, snacks, chocolate,bakery and ice cream industry. All three shows covereverything from ingredients, equipment and technologythrough to the finished products for catering and retail.SEAFEX is for Trade and Business Professionals onlyand will be open from 11am-6pm on November 19 and20, 11am-5pm on November 21. General public andpersons under the age of 18 will not be permitted entry.Free visitor registration is available now online atwww.seafexme.com Registration will also be availableat the show upon proof of trade status.OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

18WOP PREVIEWDUBAI MUNICIPALITYAND PLANETFAIRCOOPERATE TOBRING LARGESTTRADE SHOW FORFRESH PRODUCEMiddle East's only dedicated trade showfor fruit and vegetables, WOP Dubaiset to take place on 19-21 November2012, along with the International Plants ExpoMiddle East (IPM Dubai).Dubai Municipality and planetfair signed anagreement to bring to the Middle East thelargest and only dedicated fresh produce tradeshow aiming to provide a platform for theindustry to gain best practices, allow forexchange of ideas and strengthen businesspartnerships among trade professionals.In its fourth consecutive year of partnership,Dubai Municipality, represented by EngineerAbdulla Mohammed Rafia, Assistant DirectorGeneral for General Support Sector of theDubai Municipality and Tarek Sibai, ProjectDirector for planetfair LLC, bring the highlysuccessfulWorld of Perishables (WOP DUBAI)happening on November 19-21, 2012 at itsnew home Dubai World Trade Centre. For2012, WOP Dubai is expecting an increaseof 20% in trade visitors. Already, organisershave realised a 15% increase in rented spaceversus last year.“We are pleased with our partnership withplanetfair to bring together the region's freshproduce trade professionals. It is suitable thatwe hold the WOP exhibition in Dubai as this iswhere we find the biggest fresh producetraders in the Middle East, at Dubai CentralFruit and Vegetables Market (Al Aweer). WithDubai being the region's hub for the fruit andvegetable trade industry, it is within ourmission to help the industry grow andexchange ideas to help them achieve theirgoals,” said Engineer Rafia.planetfair's Mr. Sibai also welcomed thepartnership: “We are pleased to have beenworking with Dubai Municipality to bringWOP in the mainstream. The trade show wascreated four years ago with the aim ofproviding a marketplace for the increasingFOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

WOP PREVIEW19demand for produce, technology, packing andperishables logistics. Year on year, WOP isgrowing demonstrating the key importance ofthe show to the industry. We also thank HHSheikh Hamdan Bin Rashed Al Maktoum,Deputy Ruler of Dubai, Minister of Financeand Chairman of Dubai Municipality forwhose Patronage WOP DUBAI is being heldfor the fourth consecutive year.”In 2011, WOP hosted 131 companies from18 countries with eight official countrypavilions participating. These countries were:France, China, Lebanon, Rwanda, Egypt,Kenya, Turkey and Italy. planetfair registeredover 2500 trade visitors from 54 countries.To provide a forum and important insights onthe growing industry of fresh produce, EurofruitMagazine, in cooperation with WOP Dubaiwill be running the Eurofruit Congress MiddleEast from November 17-18, 2012, Shangri-LaHotel Dubai.Alongside the WOP Dubai trade show,planetfair also runs the International Plant ExpoMiddle East (IPM DUBAI) held under thepatronage of H.H. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed AlMaktoum, President of the Dubai Civil AviationAuthority and Chairman of Dubai Airports,which has been consistently regarded as theregion's largest plants and flowers trade fairand features international exhibitors for sevenyears. Both shows last year registered 4321visitors, up by 21% from 2010.Available data showed that Dubai saw a 16per cent growth in the import of fresh fruits and20 per cent increase in fresh vegetables from2008 to 2010. In 2010, Dubai importedalmost 1.7 billion kgs of fruit and vegetablesvalued at nearly AED 5.3 billion.OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST

20SWEETS & SNACKS PREVIEWMIDDLE EAST SNACKAND CONFECTIONERYMARKET ATTRACTSGLOBAL INTEREST WITHDOUBLE-DIGIT GROWTHWith the Middle East sweet andsavoury snacks market enjoyingmore than 20% year-on-yeargrowth for the past three years, and predictedto continue at the same rate until 2015according to Euromonitor International, theMiddle East represents a key element in thefuture for global industry growth. This strongmarket potential is mirrored in demand forspace at Sweets & Snacks Middle East, theregion's largest and most influential tradeshow for the snack and confectionery industry,which this year has reported a more than30% increase in exhibitor space.The show, which runs from 19 to 21November 2012 at the Dubai World TradeCentre (DWTC), is part of a cluster of nichefood industry shows that includes SEAFEXand The Speciality Food Festival. A trulyinternational platform for productselection, more than 120 specialisedexhibitors from 28 countries will beshowcasing both sweet and savourysnacks and confectionery.Trixee Loh, Senior Vice President ofDWTC and organiser of Sweets &Snacks Middle East commented: “Withthe strong growth of the snack industrythroughout the region, it has never beenmore important for businesses to attendthis key trade exhibition. Not only doesthe show provide a trading platform toconduct immediate business deals, it alsoshowcases the latest innovations andproduct launches in the sector, and helps toestablish long-term networking relationshipsbetween exhibitors and trade professionalsfrom throughout the MENA region.”Growth in the snack foods market isbeing driven, both in the region andglobally, by changes in consumer lifestyles.With less and less time for activities such asshopping and cooking, snack foods areclaiming an increasing share of the foodmarket, offering foods that act as bothcomplement and substitute for time-consumingmeals. Snack food producers are, however,following global food trends towards healthiereating, offering ranges such as low-calorie,fat-free, vitamin fortified, fibre-rich andorganic foods.The number of exhibitors showcasingorganic, gluten-free and fruit and nut basedsnacks demonstrates the growing demandfor healthy snackfoods.FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

SWEETS & SNACKS PREVIEW21Farmer Foods, a leading supplier ofnutritious healthy foods made from freshlyfarmed ingredients and produced totally freeof trans fatty acids, cholesterol, artificialcolours or preservatives is one suchexhibitor. Showcasing its range of cerealand fruit and nut bars this British company isexpecting brisk business during the show.The regional market for chocolate isexperiencing robust growth, and is expectedto be worth USD 5.8 billion by 2016,according to forecasts by AC Neilsen. Theparticipation of over 31 exhibitors of cocoaor cocoa products, including Qura ChocolateFactory, the region's first manufacturer ofBelgianchocolate, and the Malaysian Cocoa Board,reflects this important trend.Leading chocolate ingredient, accessoriesand equipment supplier, BMB recognise theimportance of Sweets & Snacks Middle East fortheir business. Managing Director, Bilal Balloutsaid: “This is one of the few trade shows in theregion that allows us to reach such a relevantand targeted audience. At this year's show, ouraward-winning chef will be conducting regulardemonstrations with chocolate to showcase ourproduct and inspire visitors. We are alsolaunching our new range of chocolatetempering machines for everyone interested inmanufacturing Chocolate Pralines."In addition to the valuable networking andbusiness development opportunities presentedat the show, the Food Logistics Forum willgather 150 global and regional industryleaders together to address the future of foodlogistics in the region to manage the rapidlychanging supply and demand challenges. It issupported by the Government of Dubai andDubai Municipality and strategic partnersinclude the Chartered Institute of Logistics andTransport, as well as Euromonitor as aKnowledge Partner. Dubai World Central isjoining the event as a Lead Sponsor togetherwith Silver Sponsor support from DP World,Globe Express Services and Mirnah TechnologySystems. Continuing Professional Development(CPD) points and accreditation are applied toregistered attendees.Combined with the co-located events SEAFEXand The Speciality Food Festival, all threededicated food industry events will runalongside each other providing visitors andexhibitors alike with the perfect trading,networking and cross-selling environment.The exhibition is for Trade and BusinessProfessionals only and will be open from 10am- 6pm daily. General public and persons underthe age of 18 will not be permitted entry. Freevisitor registration is available now online atwww.sweetsmiddleeast.com. Registration willalso be available at the show upon proof oftrade status.SWEETS & SNACKSMIDDLE EAST,MOST INFLUENTIALTRADE EXHIBITIONFOR SNACK ANDCONFECTIONERYINDUSTRY,REPORTS 30%INCREASE INEXHIBITOR SPACEOCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST

22SIAL MIDDLE EAST PREVIEWSIAL Middle East, the region's fastestgrowing professional trade exhibition forthe food, drink and hospitality industry, isgearing up for its busiest edition yet, with twonew complementary partnership exhibitionsjoining the global brand under the same roof atthe three-day event, which will be held at AbuDhabi National Exhibition centre (ADNEC) from26-28 November, 2012.New for this year is the integration of Rice &Grains into the SIAL Middle East schedule.Relocating from Dubai to Abu Dhabi as part of itsfuture growth strategy, the cereals exhibition - nowin its second year - is making the move inresponse to increased interest in the event frominternational markets as the region faces ongoingchallenges in securing new food supplies as oneof the world's largest basic commodities importers.“Abu Dhabi is one of the largest purchasersof rice in the UAE as a direct result of its foodsubsidies programme for the people of theemirate. The integration of Rice & Grains intoSIAL Middle East complements the otherofferings at the event and, with Abu Dhabi amajor business hub for the region, exhibitorswill benefit considerably from participation,”said Mohamed Jalal Al Reyaysa, Chairman ofthe Organizing Committee for SIAL Middle Eastand official spokesperson for Abu Dhabi FoodControl Authority (ADFCA).The GCC imports 90% of its foodrequirements and is entirely dependent onexternal markets to satisfy consumer demandfor maize, rice and barley. According to anAlpen Capital report, cereals accounted for43.7% of total consumption in 2011 and, witha population growing at three times the globalaverage, food imports are expected to doubleto US$53.1 billion by 2020.“The obvious synergies between the twoexhibitions has allowed us to take the event toa logical next level, by creating a multi-stageplatform that encapsulates the 'farm to food'cycle of the industry. This is a powerful vehiclewhich brings all the major local, regional andinternational players together to discussdemand drivers and current trends, and drivegrowth and innovation across the board,” saysChris Fountain, Managing Director of TurretMedia, organisers of SIAL Middle East.Rice & Grains will occupy Hall 6 at theNovember event, with over 150 industryheavyweights heading to the UAE capital to dobusiness with the more than 10,000RICE & GRAINS TOSWELL SIAL MIDDLEEAST 2012 EXHIBITIONAND CONFERENCEOFFERINGprofessional food buyers expected to attend.“The MENA region attracts the majority ofexports from the world's major rice producers,as they look to expand their global reach andcapitalise on market demand. Here in theEmirates, we have a well-established tradinghub, a structured shipping infrastructure, amplestorage facilities and a trade-friendlyenvironment, among other things,” saidFOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

SIAL MIDDLE EAST PREVIEW23Mohammad Harfouch, Executive Director atIdeal Idea Events, organisers of Rice & Grains.”“And with the advent of new world-classfacilities like the new Khalifa Port and theemerging Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi(KIZAD), the UAE has the potential to cement itsstatus as a launch pad for growth into new andexisting regional markets with high valuepotential,” he added.Held in strategic partnership with the AbuDhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA),food importation trends and price hikes ofvarious food staples are set to be a hottopic on the exhibition floor and variousconference sessions.Earlier this year, UAE President, HH SheikhKhalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, issued a directiveto extend the Ramadan food subsidies fornationals until the end of the year. The list ofsubsidised essential food products supported bygovernment funding now includes rice, flour andpasta and is valued at a total of US$1.9 million.SIAL Middle East has grown rapidly since itsinaugural edition in 2010, and in 2011welcomed 466 exhibitors from 43 countries,and 9,707 visitors, representing a 55% and34% increase on 2010 figures, respectively.In addition to Rice & Grains, SIAL MiddleEast will also incorporate a new event as partof a co-location agreement with theInternational Travel Catering Association(ITCA), as well as hosting the EmiratesInternational Date Palm Festival. The quartet ofexhibitions will welcome more than 1,000international exhibitors including 30 nationalpavilions from Argentina to Vietnam.OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST

24DATE PALM FESTIVAL PREVIEWReturning for its sixth annual celebration ofthe UAE's culture and heritage, theEmirates International Date Palm Festivalwill feature a number of activities for families toenjoy and learn the importance of the date fruitin the rich traditions of the region. Theprograms featured at the event this year includeTheatre Performances, Palm Tree Climbing,Date Tree Planting, Kid's Area, Photo GalleryCompetition and Date Tasting.Organised by Abu Dhabi Food ControlAuthority (ADFCA), Date Palm Friends Societyand Turret Media, the Date Palm Festival is heldunder the patronage of His Highness SheikhMansour Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, Deputy PrimeMinister, Minister of Presidential Affairs andChairman of ADFCA, and will take place fromEMIRATESINTERNATIONALDATE PALM FESTIVALTO TAKE PLACE INTHE LAST WEEK OFNOVEMBERFOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

DATE PALM FESTIVAL PREVIEW25FEATURING THEATRE PERFORMANCES, PALM TREE CLIMBING, DATE TREE PLANTING, KID'SAREA, PHOTO GALLERY COMPETITION, DATE TASTING AND ONE GOLDEN TICKET26 November - 1 December 2012 at the AbuDhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), inAbu Dhabi, UAE.Mohammad Jalal Al Reyaysa, Chairman ofthe Higher Organising Committee for theFestival and the official spokesperson forADFCA, said: "The Date Palm Festival is ourway of paying tribute to a significant part ofour culture and heritage. At the same time, it isalso an occasion for promoting the commercialaspect of the dates industry. The UAE is amongthe top producers and exporters of dates anddates products in the world. The festivalpresents a rare opportunity for dates businessesfrom around the globe to liaise with oneanother and explore possibilities of cooperationand collaboration," explained."We expect to attract well over 18,000visitors this year. In addition to all our activities,we have a new feature called 'One GoldenTicket'. All the exhibitors participating haveprovided us with a variety of gifts. People willhave to enter their names in a raffle any timeduring the festival and at the end; one luckywinner will get all the gifts,” Al Reyaysa added.One of the key features at this year's festival isthe Date Palm Theatre, in which students fromschools in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and the westernregion will entertain audiences throughout theweek with plays, dances, competitions and fashionshows, whilst highlighting the region's customs andtraditions. This is organized in cooperation with theAbu Dhabi Education Council.After having a favourable response last yearwith over 400 saplings planted, the Date TreePlanting feature is set to return giving festivalpatrons a chance to be a part of history andcontribute to enhancing the UAE environment.ADFCA has allocated a specific area in AbuDhabi where the planted saplings will benurtured into beautiful date palm trees for futuregenerations to enjoy. Showcasing how Emiratislived decades ago, parents and children canvisit the Heritage Village to learn how thenation's ancestors lived.Competitions this year at the Date PalmFestival include the Date Tree Climbingcompetition and the Photo Gallery competition.Avid climbers will race to the top of the datepalm tree to be crowned the UAE's fastest datetree climber. Furthermore, the artistic vision ofphotographers will be rewarded as they cansubmit entries of photographic geniusshowcasing their individual interpretations ofthe date fruit or the date palm tree. Thephotographs will then be displayed during thefestival for people to view and experience.A variety of fun activities will be availablefor children at the Learning Booth - Kids Area.Children can have their faces painted, learnabout the nutritious benefit of the fruit and havea great time playing with other children.Over 200 exhibitors from 18 countries areconfirmed to participate at this year's festival.Festival visitors will also be able to taste deliciousfruit for several leading exhibitors across theregion at the Date Tasting Area. Exhibitorsparticipating this year are confirmed to bring avariety of dates from countries such as the UnitedArab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco,Iraq, Tunisia, Libya and more.OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST

26DDTE PREVIEWThe Arab Asian Beverage Alliance which willbe held in Dubai announced today thelaunch of the First Middle East BeverageAward for most favourite drinks in the MiddleEast Region. The Award Competition will be heldin conjunction with the Dubai Drink TechnologyExpo and in cooperation with Index Conferencesand Exhibitions - member of INDEX Holding,consisting of eight beverage categories.The Eight Awards for the most favouritedrinks in the Middle east are: Favourite AlcoholFree in the Middle East, Favourite Coffee in theMiddle East, Favourite Diary in the MiddleEast, Favourite Juice in the Middle East,Favourite Energy Drink in the Middle East,Favourite Tea in the Middle East, FavouriteWater in the Middle East and Favourite SoftDrink In the Middle East.Dr. Ahmed Al Banna, the Secretary General ofthe Arab Asian Beverage Alliance (AABA) said:“the idea of hosting the first Beverage Awards inTHE AABAANNOUNCES THELAUNCH OF THEFIRST MIDDLE EASTBEVERAGE AWARDthe Middle East comes from our intention tosupport the beverage industrial sector in theregion in addition to identify the consumingtrends for individuals throughout a survey thatcovers more than one million individuals.Therefore, the Award is to create competitionbetween participating companies and in returnprovide Media and Marketing support for thoseFOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

DDTE PREVIEW27brands and it will also contribute in creating anew direction for the consumers of thosebeverages that are covered by the survey.”Dr. Al Banna also said: “ the Awards willcreate a competitive spirit among participatingbrands and shall add exclusivity to thebeverages sector that can create more chancesfor developing new beverages according to theresults of the survey which will show whichbeverage are the Middle East's Favourite.”“The beverage sector is a vital sector andincludes a number of domains underneath itwhich cannot be compared to each otherbecause each domain has its own group ofconsumers. For example, you cannot comparecoffee to soft drinks because each has its ownconsumer category, and that's why we haveclassified the award into 8 different beveragecategories.” Added Dr. Al BannaThe survey will start on October 15 and willend on November 15 this year. More than 1.6Million individual will take part in this surveywhich shall cover the whole MENA Region. Inaddition, there are more than 30 internationaland regional brands who are taking part in thecompetition such as Lipton, Nescafe and Rawabi,and the results will be announced during a GalaDinner on December 5th in Dubai.The “Arab Asian Beverage Alliance” is keento consider and develop the technical andinvestment aspects of the beverage industryand liquid food sectors in the GCC, MiddleEast and the World. Moreover, the AABAdiscuss the latest in the beverage industry andprovides a platform for proven products andthe latest in production machinery andequipment, process and quality controlinstruments, storage, transport and labelinghandling services associated with the industrythrough the Dubai Drink Technology Expo.The AABA will also hosts an “EducationalTraining Workshop” delivered by the VLB BerlinInstitute from Germany, one of the World'sleading institute for research and technology inthe field of beverage products. The workshopwill include a variety of topics including water,packaging, energy and utilities and will beattended by specialists from the beveragesector, production managers, quality control,chemical engineers, microbiologists, projectmanagers and brand managers.The AABA has more than 100 members onboard who are specialists in the field ofbeverage industry and is held at a time wherethe beverage industry is prospering in someArabic countries including the UAE, KSA andEgypt. Members come from differentbackgrounds including brand owners,manufacturers, distributors, packaging,retailers, marketing agencies and governmentalbodies in the UAE and Asia.OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST

28UAE UPDATEH.E. Khadim Al DareiVice Chairman andManaging DirectorH.E Hamad Al ShamsiDeputy Managing DirectorYoung and Ambitious are two qualities thatperfectly represent the essence of Al Dahraagricultural company. Since its inception in1995, it has witnessed unmatched growth interms of geographic footprint, product andservice offering development and customer baseexpansion. In less than two decades, thecompany has transformed from a local AbuDhabi based company to a multinationalorganization with presence across four continents.It has also shifted from a local mandate focusedon private farming operations to an internationalmindset committed to growing the commercialagricultural business. Al Dahra's success is not tobe measured solely by the growth in revenuesand profitability and growth in workforce andproducts range. The true measure of success is thecompany's commitment to exceptional serviceand delivery, quality of agricultural produce andlogistics services and long-term customersatisfaction and loyalty that it has achieved overthe course of the past few years. Whilst theUnited Arab Emirates remains at the core of itsstrategy, the company is well positioned tobecoming one of the key international players inthe agriculture sector and a leader in the foodsupply chain business.Specialized OperationsAl Dahra's main line of business consists offarming, production and supply of human andanimal food. The company has madeconsiderable investments after being awarded anumber of government contracts to establish asolid platform for the supply of forageand essential commodities to the UAE.Consequently, Al Dahra has acquired anumber of internationally renownedproducers of forage such as ACXNorthwest Pacific in the United States ofAmerica in addition to Desagro, Soyn,Alfapla and Fagavi in Spain gainingbest in class expertise in the field ofcultivation and production of Alfalfaand other high nutrient grass suitable for cattle.In addition, Al Dahra has establishedproduction plants for super Basmati rice inPakistan and India under the brand name ofBrukfield and currently has more than 120international distributors in various countriesaround the world. Brukfield produces the highestquality rice using the most recent andtechnologically advanced machinery and followsstringent quality control measures.Houssam MahmoudChief Executive OfficerAL DAHRA AGRICULTUREA SUCCESSSTORY IN THEAGRIBUSINESSAl Dahra has set up large cultivation andproduction operations in Egypt for corn,potatoes, citrus fruits and alfalfa and hasestablished a wide local and regionalcustomer base. Other significant investmentsas part of the company's portfolio includeplantation of dates in Namibia and olives inMorocco and managing greenhouseoperations in the United Arab Emirates whereit also runs a dairy farm. The company is alsocurrently looking at adding sugar, wheat andflour production to its product range.Food Security and Future PlansAl Dahra's leadership vision and organizationalstrategy revolves around ensuring food securityand sustainability to the United Arab Emiratesand the host countries where the company hasmade investments. Providing a steady andreliable supply of basic commodities and food toface progressively rising food shortages, pricehikes, export bans and climate changechallenges has become in recent yearson top of governments' agendas andpriority lists. As a private company, AlDahra takes very seriously theresponsibility of forging partnershipswith the public and private sectors tosecure lands overseas, invest incommercial agriculture, ensure longtermfarming operations andproduction of quality produce. Foreigninvestments in agriculture not only boost domesticfood supply but also offer numerous benefits tolocal populations such as infrastructuredevelopment, job creation and transfer oftechnology and expertise.FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

30ARGENTINE UPDATEA LEADER IN THEARGENTINEANDAIRY INDUSTRYSucesores de Alfredo Williner S.A, basedin Argentina plays a leading role in theproduction and supply of dairy products.The company grew in a region that hasbeen economically and socially based on thesettlement of European immigrants who arrivedat the end of the 18th and the beginning of the19th centuries. These immigrants colonized theregion with deep values of sacrifice, work,honesty and community participation.Jose Maria Williner was one of thesepioneers, a determined person and lover ofprogress, who was born in Switzerland andcame all the way down to Argentina at the endof the 19th century. After many years of hardwork, Jose Maria managed to own severaldairy farms and pursued a dream: tomanufacture the best dairy products in thecountry.His wish was carried forward by his son,Alfredo, a visionary who in 1928 laid downthe foundations of the company and began toprocess the milk from his dairy farms in a tinyfactory in Bella Italia, a small town in Santa FeProvince.At present, this family enterprise operatesfive manufacturing plants, which are located inthe midwest of Santa Fe Province, a land that,due to the quality of its soils, varied climateand excellent pastures, allows for an ongoingquantitative and qualitative development ofdairy production.The plant processes 440 million liters of milkwhich are transformed into a varied line ofproducts marketed under the trademarks'ilolay', “ilolay vita” and “ilolay kids”.Williner has always shown a strongcommitment to quality. By strictly complyingwith international standards and GoodManufacturing Practices, it has become the firstdairy industry in the country to ensureconsistent quality from dairy farms tosupermarket shelves.The company has always managed tocombine distance, work, efficiency and service.Thus, it guarantees distribution all over thecountry through its 9 points of sale and anetwork of over 50 strategically locateddistributors and representatives.The high quality and worldwide acceptanceof Williner's products have allowed thecompany to gain access to internationalmarkets, servicing clients through its ForeignTrade Department and exporting to more than40 different countries. The company has anannual turnover of more than 180 milliondollars.Williner Group has also its own dairy farms,which account for about 20% of the total litersprocessed by the dairy industry, thus becomingone of the largest milk producers in LatinAmerica.High degree proved genetics is used in thesedairy farms. Feeding is basically done bymeans of grazing, strategically supplementedwith silage and high-protein high-energy byproducts.FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

ARGENTINE UPDATE31HIGH-OLEIC PEANUTPRODUCTS BY THEMOST USEFUL LIFEGrupo Cavigliasso is an Argentinecompany with a “peanut” spirit and avast experience that pursues a policy ofhigh quality. GC has a modern processingplant and an oil peanut plant latest technology.GC is able to supply the demandinginternational market with products that meetstrict standards of safety and hygiene.GC produces its own peanut in selectedsoils. It applies Good Agricultural Practises(GPA) and tracked the quality of each lot by atrazability system. It has HACCP certified.Grupo Cavigliasso trades high-oleic peanutproducts by the most useful life. It exports HPSPeanut, Blanched peanut and peanut oil.OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST

32DAIRY PRODUCTSChristis Dairies Ltd started in 1961 asmilk pasteurization and bottlingcompany. At that early period all milkproduce came from the company's own farms.During the 40 years that followed, Christisapplied revolutionary high capacity productionmethods, adopted state-of-the-art packagingdevelopments and was pioneer in supplying themarket with the widest range of quality dairyproducts, ever produced in Cyprus.The real landmark in the company's growth,came in 1974, when Christis expanded itsproduction capacity and added the cheeseproduction section taking full advantage of theincreased demand for dairy productscombined with the abundance of milkproduced in Cyprus. By 1985 Christis Dairiesmoved to a newly built high capacity modernCHRISTIS: AUNIQUE CHOICEAND SUPERIORQUALITYfactory in Ayios Athanasios Industrial Area inLimassol. Since then, the factory has beendeveloping and expanding continuously andtoday is one of the most advanced dairy plantsin the whole region.In 1999, a new ultra modern cheeseproduction unit was built with exceptionallyhigh specifications.In the ideal production environment a widevariety of quality cheese products areproduced. Their consistent quality and excellentflavor have won fanatical friends in both localand international markets.The brand name Christis is todayconsidered as the best guarantee forconsumers who appreciate superior qualityand delightful taste.Christis Dairies Ltd was the first foodmanufacturing company in Cyprus to becertified with the ISO 9002 certificate (1997).Strict quality controls are applied at every stageof selection, production, packaging anddelivery. It is worth noticing that the ISO 9002procedures are applied vertically covering allproducts, vehicle and equipments, distributionnetwork and customer service. A process thatguarantees to an absolute degree the quality ofthe product that reaches the consumer.The leading exporting companyof Dairy ProductsChristis Dairies Ltd exports its dairy productssuccessfully to countries like Saudi Arabia,Kuwait, UAE, Bahrain, UK, USA, Lebanon,Greece and Sweden.Having received twice the “EuropeanExports Award” by the 'Cyprus Employers andIndustrialist's Federation” the company nowenjoys more than 55% share of the total dairyproducts exports of Cyprus.KefalogravieraKefalograviera is a traditional hard cheeseFOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

DAIRY PRODUCTS33with mildly piquant taste whichaccompanies perfectly a good wine.This exquisite cheese can also be usedas a main ingredient for variousrecipes.Slim HalloumiThe first Slim Halloumi worldwide.The rich taste of traditional Halloumibut with reduced fat and less calories.HalloumiThe traditional soft Cyprus cheese knownworldwide for its unique taste is the only kindof cheese which can be enjoyed in such avariety of ways. Fresh as it comes, fried,grilled, grated on pasta, with fresh fruits etc.authentic, centuries old recipe, using thelatest technology.AnariAn excellent, easily digested low fatcheese with a unique light taste. Now anariis also available grated in speciallydesigned user - friendly containers, makingyour pasta - or anything else for that mattertastier.Feta CheeseA unique white cheese full of taste andnutritional values. It can be enjoyed on its ownor as a basic ingredient in salads and otherexciting recipes.Traditional HalloumiMade from 100% fresh sheep's and goat'smilk, it has a full and rich taste. Christistraditional Halloumi is produced with theOCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST

34BEVERAGESThe coffees of India are a diverse range of16 coffees. Grown in different regions, atvarious elevations, nourished by manydifferent soils and tended to by the lovinghands of various kinds of people, it's notsurprising that the coffees are so different fromeach other. Each one is distinctive. Each oneunique. But they're all deliciously Indian.'Monsooned Malabar' is the onlymonsooned coffee in the world.Many years ago, coffee beans from Indiawere accidentally 'monsooned' over a longvoyage. Monsoon winds caused the beans toswell to one-and-a-half times their normal sizeand take on a purer, paler colour. Somethingmagical seemed to have happened to thecoffee… and consumers around Europe lovedits unique flavour.Today India has perfected the art ofCREATING THEWORLD'S MOSTEXOTIC COFFEEdeliberately 'monsooning' coffee at specialcuring works along the Malabar Coast,creating the world's most exotic specialtycoffee. In the cup, Monsooned Malabar hasmedium strength and a mild, mellow, sweetishtaste.“Robusta Kaapi Royale' is India's flagshipWashed Robusta brand.Thanks to a unique washing process, IndianWashed Robustas are nearest in taste of that ofArabicas and make for great standalonebrewed coffee. The beans appear to be bold,round with pointed ends and are gray to bluishgray in colour. These intensely aromatic coffeeshave a soft, mild taste with a chocolatey note.'Mysore Nuggets' is a rare, premium coffeethat represents the best quality coffee fromIndia.This wonderful and exotic coffee is preparedfrom washed Arabicas grown in the regions ofChikmaglur, Coorg, Biligiris, Bababudangirisand Shevaroys. The beans are very large,uniformly bluish green in colour and have aclean polished appearance.In the cup, the coffee exhibits full aroma,medium to good body, good acidity and fineflavour with a hint of spice.Sustainable CultivationThe Coffees of India are grown in asymbiotic relationship with their environment.They are grown in natural forests, withoutcutting down shade trees. In all our estates, ourcoffees are grown under a two-tier mixedshade canopy. Some of these shade treesproduce fruits and vegetables, which becomean additional source of income for growers.Our coffee country is also a natural habitat forbirds, insects and animals.At Araku Valley, coffee cultivation has givena new life to once barren hills. Coffee estateshave replaced the earlier custom of shiftingcultivation, which had left the hills denuded.Our coffees also provide a livelihood to theeconomically marginalized, by providing localtribes a sustainable livelihood. The estates alsoprovide healthcare, education and housing forworkers and their families, making theiroccupation a holistically rewarding one.FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

36MEAT PRODUCTSCastricum Lamb is sweet, succulent anddelicate, tender, tasty and easy toprepare — a favorite locally andoverseas. In Australia and oveseas, Castricumhas established a loyal and growing market forAustralian Lamb.Now Castricum Brothers have introducedpackaging which extends shelf life and allowsnatural ageing to continue in a controlledenvironment. By the time you receive yourconsignment, Castricum Lamb has reached theoptimum taste and tenderness your customers love.The Caustricum Brothers Seal of Quality isyour guarantee that the lamb we supply isprime quality; delicate in flavour; lean, healthyand easy to prepare.Situated at the gateway to the finest primelamb growing areas in the world, CastricumBrothers delivers meat from the best breedsgrown free-range on Australia's clean, green,natural pastures. Australia's livestock is isolatedfrom exotic diseases, its health is zealouslyguarded through strict customs control andexacting quarantine regulations.The Castricum tradition of excellence in meatindustry service began in Holland over 200 yearsago. Four Castricum brothers formed a businesstogether in 1928 and in 1953 that traditionA CUT ABOVEIN TASTE ANDTENDERNESSreached Australia and rapidly expanded intomeat processing, wholesaling and retailing forAustralia's domestic and export markets.Today, the Castricum name is your guaranteeof the finest stock and the highest standards ofhygiene from the state-of-the-art processing.From pasture to plate, personal quality controlby the Castricum family ensure the higheststandards and dedicated service.As an Aus-Meat accredited supplier,Castricum Brothers maintains one of the world'smost rigorously controlled and continuallymonitored Meat Safety Quality Assuranceprograms to ensure safe, clean lamb.FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

38SWEETS & SNACKSTatawaIndustries (M)Sdn Bhd, locatedin Muar, Johor inMalaysia, is anaward winning andglobally recognizedcompany specializingin the manufacturingof center-filled cookiesand chocolates.Our companyhas been certify bythe ISO 22000 : 2005 and we adhere toGMP, HACCP and committed to TQM. Wealso have a broad international marketingnetwork, which spans across Asia, Africa,Oceania, the Middle East, Europe andNorth America.Our ongoing mission is to make you fallin love with our cookies in just onebite. "Love at first bite" is ourgreatest drive towardscontinuous improvement of ourproducts and services.Tatawa Industries (M) Sdn.Bhd. was established in theyear 1992.This growth proves our prowessand aim to be the specialist incookies manufacturing. Our productrange includes Bite Size Cookies,Chocolate Chips Cookies, ChocolateCrunch, Chocolate Filled Cookies, Langue DeChat Roll, Fancy Cookies, Fruit Jam Cookies,Multi Grain Cookies, Premium Chocolate,Chocolate Coated Crispy Puff, Oat MealCookies, Nutri Twist Bar, Butter Cookies andAssorted Cookies.Stringent quality checks and laboratorytests are a norm for us to maintain thefreshness and hygiene of our individuallypacked soft-filled cookies and chocolate. Todate,all of our products are certified “Halal”and confirm to therequirements of theIslamic Law andMalaysianGovernmentRegulations. This isanother strength thatwe have in theIslamic market.WE AIM TOSATISFY YOURAPPETITE ANDMAKE YOUMERRY ALL INONE BITE!Our "bite" has been growingover years and has beenglobally accredited. Ourexcellent marketingnetwork spans fromlocal hypermarkets,supermarkets, retailstores, gift shop andflorists throughout theworld's various countries.i.e. Japan, USA,Philippines, Russia, Singapore,UAE, United Kingdom, Thailand,Indonesia, Australia, China, France, Iraq,Canada, Azerbaijan etc.Our company as well as our products havebeen globally recognized and awardednumerous prestigious awards. Our twoproducts - Pineapple Cookies and Raisin &Chocolate Chip Cookies have won the "Gold"Medal award from the International Institute ofQuality Selection (Monde Selection) InBelgium.FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

SWEETS & SNACKS39RICLAN: OVER 30YEARS IN THEGLOBAL MARKETFounded in 1944 in Rio Claro in São Paulo,Riclan is a 100% Brazilian owned companywith an annual turnover of $130 million.Two plants and five sales offices cover thewhole of Brazil. With an installed capacity of60,000 tons/year, Riclan has a completeportfolio that is both modern and competitive,including stick hard candy (drops), hard andfilled candy, caramels, lollipops, gums, chewinggums, and cereal bars.Undisputed leader in the menthol hard candysegment (source: Doce Revista) and rankingsecond in the drops segment (source: Nielsen).Riclan is also a strong competitor in the licensedcharacter segment, whether classics like Barbie,Hot Wheels, Hello Kitty and Disney characters,or personalities from hit TV-series and movies.Exporting since 1973, Riclan was the firstcandy company, with 100% national capital, tostart an export project, beginning with thesofisticated and demanding US market.OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST

40SWEETS & SNACKSFive young professionals from the foodindustry gathered on an evening duringthe peak time of Global EconomicRecession in 2008 to form a Company forfrozen Samosa products. Thus formed HotN Fresh Pastry Factory LLC. The reason wasto meet the increasing demand of FrozenSamosas and Springrolls during theRamadan time. There was acute shortage ofthese snack food items in spite of the heavyimports from India and China.Hot N Fresh Pastry Factory LLC, startedwith 4 employees and one product as sixvariants of Samosas is now grown to thelevel of 100 employees and the range ofproducts also increased considerably.Current product range include Samosa,Springrolls, Cutlets, Burgers, Nuggets,Chicken Fillets, Calibrated Chicken Breast,Tandoori Tikka, Sheesh Tawook, BreadedHOT N FRESH:NO COMPROMISEON QUALITYFish fillet, Breaded Shrimps, Breaded Squidrings, Plain Paratha etc.The strength of the company is thecommitment of management towardsquality. The management is very stringent inchoosing the best quality raw materials andensuring the hygienic handling whileprocessing and keeping the promptness indeliveries are the specialties.According to the Executive DirectorMr. Azeez Naisam, the company isFOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

SWEETS & SNACKS41anticipating 50 million turn over next year.The company will cross 20 million sales bythe end of this year. The company is underthe process of expanding its horizon bytying up with trading companies all overthe GCC Countries, especially Saudi,Bahrain, Qatar, Muscat and Iraq. Currentlythe company is Supplying Snack Foods tothe hot food counters of MajorHypermarkets and doing brand packing forMajor Brands in UAE.The second manufacturing unit started inearly 2012 in Shrajah, Al Kanz FoodstuffInd. LLC, is equipped with most modernequipments for the food processing andpackaging. This factory is having afreezing capacity of 15 tones per day canproduce various value added products ofChicken, Meat, Seafood and Vegetables.Both the factories are ISO 22000certified and maintain good qualitystandards. The companies aim is to growand contribute to cater the HORECAsegments in GCC.OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST

42DATESEMIRATES DATESCONQUER THEWORLD MARKETSWITH ITS EXCELLENTPRODUCTSEstablished in 1989 Emirates Dates bringsin 12 years of success in manufacturingand exporting of quality dates. We grewbest and our main objective is producingquality Dates which made "Emirates Dates"one of the leading manufacturers of Datesthroughout Middle East."Emirates Dates" is one of the MarketLeaders in the processing and manufacturingof Date products. The Project has its OwnPalms in Al Ain and Ras Al Khaimah. Datesare famous for their rate of inverted sugar,minerals, vitamins, and are a good Source ofVitality. This is why they are exported allover the World.Our product range includes differentvarieties such as Press Pack, Plain Dates,Almond Stuffed Dates, Date Syrup, Dates inBook Shape, Dates Paste and Date Palm Trees.Emirates Dates attains brilliant success andits products conquer world markets.Al-Shamsi: Our production capacity hasreached 700 tons.Nutritional value of dates is cause for theboom in sales.Emirates Dates has attainedbrilliant successanalogous to its production capacity thatenabled it to conquer the world markets withits excellent products, the choicest kinds ofnative dates.This success comes as a result of the specialattention that the late His Highness SheikhZayed Bin Sultan al-Nihyan, the President ofthe U A E has given to the agriculture sectorespecially in the cultivation of millions of datepalms in vast areas in the country. SheikAbdullah Rashid Obaid Al Shamsi, owner ofthe Emirates Dates factory, says, “But for theencouragement and assistance extended by hisHighness the President of the UAE forwidening the date-palm gardens and hisconstant support to the agriculture sector, ourfactory would not have been able to realizewhat it has attained now.Also, about the future of the factory he says,“I started thinking of establishing the factory in1988 AD while we were preserving andstocking in freezers the dates from plantationsin Al Ain city and Ras al-Khaimah Emirate, andin the year 1990 AD, there was the actualtake off when a factory for wrapping andpacking dates was established. Our productioncapacity reached around fifty tons in the firstyear, and the production developed veryquickly so that in the year 1996 it reached 70tons of the most well known and excellenttypes of dates like Al Khalas, Al Burji, Sheeshy,Al Lulu, Al Khunaizi, Al Mirzaban, JashRabee', Jash Habsh, Yabri, Abu Mi'an,Shabeebi, Fawd etc.He states that the headquarters of thecompany is in the capital Abu Dhabi and thefactory is in the emirate of Ras Al Khaimahand that the company has a show room forits products in Dubai. Regarding the successthat the factory has attained, Al Shamsi says,“After our products flooded the local marketswe conquered the world markets as weexported dates to the countries of East Asia,Europe and the Arabian Gulf. In addition,we obtained certificates of recognition fromvarious local, gulf and world exhibitions inwhich we had participated”.FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

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44DATESAL FOAH: SPREADINGTHE UAE DATES ONINTERNATIONAL LEVELThe palm tree is the tree of life. It has beenknown since prehistoric times. Its nameoccurs in archaeological texts and HolyBooks. Talking about it leads us to the odor ofthe glorious past coupled with the scent of therenewable present. This blessed tree is asdeeply rooted as the history of the Gulf peoplein general, and the UAE people in particular.The latters have inherited love of the palm treegeneration after another and have recognizedits importance and learned how to nurture andmaintain it. And why not and its is the mother ofall trees which offers so much. This blessed treeis privileged with the loving care of HH thePresident, Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan,may Allah keep him, the best successor to thebest predecessor, the late Sheikh Zayed BinSultan Al Nahyan, who was so keen topropagate the palm tree in all areas of the UAE.To achieve the optimal utilization of thiswealth, Al Foah Company is undertaking aparamount role in developing this vital sector sothat it may become a successful economic beamin the UAE. Al Foah Co. was establishedaccording to the Emirate of Abu Dhabi ExecutiveCouncil Resolution No.15 session 19/2005 at23/05/2005, and it became a member of theGeneral Holding Corporation - Abu Dhabi.Taking Care of the Farmer'sThe farmer is considered the backbone ofthe development of the palm industry in thecountry and the main axis to improve thequality of dates. Thus, supporting the farmer bymeeting his needs is one of the most importantpriorities that Al Foah Company has made itthe subject of its interests.That is why this company was interested fromthe day it was established to help the farmers byguiding, supporting and providing them with allpossibilities and services, noted that a newpolicy of supporting the farmers has beenapplied since 2007 and the percentage of thosewho have benefited from this policy has reachedto 75%, thus Al Foah company believes that thesuccess of this economic sector is based on thesuccessful farmer who provides high-quality datesthat guarantees an internationally unique imageof the United Arab Emirates.Taking the dates of the UAE GloballyAl Foah is seeking to jump-start globally withits dates through increasing awareness of theculture of the Palm which represents a longhistory of the UAE society and its originality. AlFoah is also working on spreading UAE dateson the international level by opening newmarkets in 12 countries. In addition to theformer quantity of 47 tons of dates that hasbeen exported to16 countries; the volume ofexport of dates has reached to 26 thousandtons, bringing the total of countries 28countries. Note that the export sales representmore than 90% of the dates of the citizens.FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

46DATESNADIYA DATES: AWIDE RANGE OFLUXURY DATESNadiya, a Dubai based company, isproud to offer a range of beautifullypackaged luxury dates for thecorporate, hotel, food service and retailsectors. We specialise in delivering highquality and unique presentation gift boxes thatreflect our local heritage and the traditions ofArabian hospitality.Nadiya was born from the desire to bringfresh dates, a traditional expression ofArabian hospitality, to a wider market and toextend the flavour combinations to suit today'smore sophisticated consumer. We offer anextensive range of specially created gift andretail presentation boxes suitable for alloccasions. Among our many prestigiouscustomers, we are delighted to serve DubaiGovernment departments, 5-star internationaland regional hotel groups, leading retailers,speciality food stores and many of the leadingcorporations in the region.We select only the finest quality Arabiandates for our specially created gift boxesand we work with many of the farmsconsidered to be the world's finest producersof dates in terms of taste, colour and size.Nadiya has a strong cultural tradition in theGulf region and our entire operation,including production, quality control anddistribution, is based here in Dubai. Thisenables us to ensure that our products aredelivered to our valued customers in thefreshest and most pristine condition.Whether planning a special event orproduct launch, marking the occasion of Eidor acknowledging your loyal customers,Nadiya luxury dates are the perfectexpression of the traditions of Arabianhospitality.BEST QUALITYOF DATES AT VERYGOOD PRICESRoyal Dates Companywas established on2003. Our main productis best quality Dates. We areappreciated in the U.A.E andin many other countriesbecause of the excellent tasteof our Dates.We have all kinds of Datesfrom: fresh, processed dates,dates with all kinds of nuts,chocolate - filled dates andso much more. We areselling by retail andwholesale. Our dates areimported from Saudi Arabiawhich is ISO certified, ECOcertified and HACCPcertified. We are only givingthe best quality of dates atvery good prices. Our mainoffice is located in AbuDhabi, United Arab Emirates.In a ceaseless attempt andwith a new understandingcombined with originality ofthe past and modern criteriaand being keen to offer thebest to our customers, Royalroused to materialize a modelin presenting the luxuriousdates, distinctive sweets andhigh class chocolate.FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

48DATESOnaizah is not only home to some ofthe oldest date groves in SaudiArabia, but also houses date palmsthat are more than a century old.Onaizah Dates Factory which is located atfront of Unayzah Department of Traffic,Buraydah road, Unayzah GovernorateQassim, KSA has an area of 70000m2, withindustrial capacity of 6000kg/hr.The factory process and produces allkinds of dates. The dates are packed by thelatest local, international technology tosatisfy requirements of all consumers. Theproducts are remarkable in quality withinternational standards.The factory receives all kinds of highquality dates from local farmers who cancomply to the factory's strict technicalprovisions and specifications. In order tomaintain the cleanness and hygiene, thefactory supplies farmers with empty plasticboxes for packing.When the farmers bring dates to thefactory, a sample is taken for examining todefine its rank, grade and quality for reception.ONAIZAH DATES:MEETING THEGLOBALREQUIREMENTSIN DATESThe factory uses various production linesthat required for package in accordancewith the latest technology. Some of the linesare Thermoform machines, Date paste lines,pouch machines for singular packaging,lines of block packs in plastic boxes &bags, Line of loaded dates, traditionalpressing lines.The department of serving other is a maindepartment of the factory. Serving others isFOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012

50DATESTHE DATES AREPACKED BY THELATEST LOCAL ANDINTERNATIONALTECHNOLOGYTO SATISFYREQUIREMENTS OFALL CONSUMERS.THE PRODUCTS AREREMARKABLE INQUALITY WITHINTERNATIONALSTANDARDS.to receive the client's own dates and thefactory is committed to manufacturing themaccording to the client's desire andspecifications.These dates are manufacturing eitherthermoform (air - vacuumed), dates-paste,horded or pressing in cans as per specifiedand varied prices according to requiredquantities and the client system. Dates arereceived under a special from containing thetype, quantity, manufacturing period,receiving and delivery method andrequired price.The factory has the highest and finesttypes of pressed dates (compacted) whichare manufactured in several stages (isolate,uncapping, bagging, sunning, placing undercertain weight, overturning, storage in theproper temperature till the date honeysolidifies).The factory continuously extend itsservices to local date farmers in marketingand promoting Onaizah dates in theKingdom of Saudi Arabia by finding outrepresentatives and distributors in theKingdom, countries of the Gulf CooperationCouncil, The Arab & Islamic countries suchas Jordan, Syria and Lebanon, African &East Asian countries, American andCanada and the European countries.According to Food and AgricultureOrganization (FAO), Saudi Arabian dateproduction represents approximately 12 to13 percent of the world production. Dateproduction is an integral part of the Saudieconomy, though it is second only to oil.FOOD BUSINESS GULF & MIDDLE EAST OCTOBER-DECEMBER 2012