Palatinose - Soft Drinks International

InDUSTrY nEWS
12 Soft Drinks International – February 2011
Middle East
nestlé launches
Dubai facility
THE new production, warehousing and
research complex developed by Nestlé
Middle East at the Dubai TechnoPark is
now in full operation. It handles the manufacture,
canning and bottling of a range of
Nestlé brands, including Nestlé Pure Life
bottled water, and incorporates the first
new Nestlé confectionery factory built in
over a decade. It also houses the group’s
regional microbiological laboratory which
backs up operations throughout the Middle
East.
“By opening our new facility in Dubai,
our regional headquarters, we will be
closer to our consumers in the region and
can better adapt our products to their
needs and preferences,” said Paul Bulcke,
the Nestlé Chief Executive.
“The Middle East region is a very important
part of the Nestlé business and our
continued commitment and ongoing investments
demonstrate our confidence in the
region.”
In Saudi Arabia, Nestlé Waters has
installed Vision Solutions’ Double-Take Availability
data protection software at its three
plants, which produce bottled water under
the Al Manhal, Springs and Nestlé Pure Life
brands. Wael Al Baz, IT/IS Manager for
Nestlé Waters, explained that the software
had been chosen because it provided a
high-performance, cost-effective solution for
real-time replication of data across the
LAN and WAN environment. “It can work
over networks where bandwidth is limited.”
Coke supports
Bahrain kiosks
NO stranger to hands-on involvement with
micro-retailers and small-scale distribution
entrepreneurs, Coca-Cola is playing a very
active role in a small business venture set up
in the Kingdom of Bahrain to help people
with special needs.
The Dannatt project is setting up kiosks in
gardens, public facilities and elsewhere in
Bahrain. The micro-businesses are financed
by The Family Bank, with support from the
Ministry of Social Development and The
Coca-Cola Bottling Company, via local franchisee
Bahrain Bottling.
“This agreement comes as a result of the
activities of the ministry to empower people
with special needs and to provide a suitable
environment to integrate them into society
and provide employment opportunities for
Catering group to
expand
THE B6 Group, a substantial UAE commercial
catering enterprise, says it has budgeted heavily
for expansion projects in 2011, with an
increasing emphasis on sourcing its own beverages
and foodstuffs, including through local
production and for sale to others in the hospitality
sector.
“High quality and specialised foods are in
great demand in the UAE, creating large
opportunities for everyone to expand their
presence in the market,” said Omar Rashed
Al Falasi, the company’s Chairman. “In recent
years, there has been a shift in food habits
from traditional to a variety of international
cuisines.”
He pointed out that “the GCC is the
biggest importer of food in the world, with
more than 90% of food items brought into
the region. The UAE is regarded as a key
growth market by the global food and beverage
industry despite its small population.
Hunger fight
partnership
MINERAL water and juice producer Agthia
Group, a major player in the United Arab
Emirates’ FMCG sector, has linked up with the
World Food Programme to support its Fight
Against Hunger.
WFP is a humanitarian agency which each
year feeds more than 90 million people,
among them some 20 million school children,
in more than 70 countries.
It is also a logistics provider for United
Nations emergency response, calling on a
large air, road and maritime transport fleet.
Agthia decided to link with WFP because
One of the kiosks in Bahrain.
them,” said Dr Fatima Muhammed Al Blushi,
Bahrain’s Minister of Social Development.
The ministry is providing exclusive
licences, training and some supervision of
the new micro-retailers to help them get
going at a solid and sustainable pace. The
kiosks, of which about 100 are planned, are
selling not only Coca-Cola beverages but
also other convenience products.
Omar Rashed Al Falasi, B6 Group.
Being a re-export centre of the region gives
it an edge to be one of the largest importers
of food and beverages.”
Al Falasi said the beverage industry was a
lucrative one and there was a lot of room for
expansion. “There is huge importing of beverages
from outside, creating a need for having
high quality local manufacturers who can
cater to the needs of the regional market.
“This is where B6 Group expansion plans
can fit in.”
He was upbeat about the positive effect
likely on the company: “Our revenues will
grow by more than 40% in 2011, due to the
large number of contracts scheduled to be
closed in the first quarter.”
this was a good fit with its ‘For Wholehearted
Living’ manifesto, part of new branding
launched last year. It was also seen as relevant
to the company’s commitment to the cause
of food security, a key reason for its formation
by the Abu Dhabi Government in the
1970s.
Ashraf Hamouda, a Senior Manager for
WFP, observed that “Agthia Group has always
shown generosity and commitment to
humanitarian initiatives, and having them as
one of WFP’s first partners in the UAE gives
us great hope that many more will follow suit.
“Agthia Group was built on a promise
decades ago, out of concern for the UAE’s
food security issues, and now Agthia is
expanding its horizons to eradicate hunger
globally as well.”
In brief…
● Qatar’s Ministry of Business and Trade
has set a deadline of the end of June for all
soft drinks sold in cans to feature stay-ontop
tabs, replacing pull tabs. The ministry’s
consumer protection department said the
directive, which is already being widely
implemented, is aimed at enhancing consumer
health and safety.
● Pepsi-Jordan has again hosted a ‘right to
work’ job open day for the disabled, interviewing
nearly 80 people for possible jobs
while also helping promote the hiring of
disabled people more widely in the kingdom.
With the help of human resource
specialists, Pepsi-Jordan focused on matching
personal capabilities and experiences to
job positions, seeking to meet individual
challenges.