Al Ghurair, which produces flour, pasta and eggs in the UAE, exports around 80% of its food production – but in its home market it often struggles to compete against international brands that may be more familiar, according to marketing manager Lorna Watts. She said Al Ghurair is working with the government to boost awareness of home-grown brands among shoppers.
Go local for freshness
“What we’re trying to do is push local. In Dubai, our local market, a lot of people don’t realise Dubai manufactures food – they don’t know flour, pasta, noodles, eggs are all produced in the UAE. They go to the supermarket and buy what they know from home, because they think Dubai is a desert. Actually there’s a lot of food manufacturing here,” said Watts, speaking at Gulfood earlier this month.
“We’re trying to say to people, you live in Dubai, you should support local. It’s also more sustainable and fresh – what’s the point of buying a packet of eggs for US$5 that’s come all the way from Europe on a container and is actually quite old? Instead you can get a fresh packet of eggs for a normal price that’s produced here and supports local farmers,” she added.
Watts highlighted Al Ghurair’s sustainable approach to food production, which sees it making the most of its wheat and wheat by-products production. Imported wheat is milled into flour, and the by-products are then turned into animal feed for chickens at the company’s egg farm.
Spotlight on product innovation
Another current priority for the firm is to promote innovation, and move away from being seen only as a basic commodities producer. At Gulfood it showed off new flavours of noodles currently in development, with a view to getting feedback on which ones to put into production.
“We have some big names, a lot of global FMCG companies we produce for. We do innovation all the time, often for specific customers, but we don’t shout about it. Here, we’re showcasing it,” said Watts.
She noted that, along with the quality of the food products themselves and ensuring production facilities are up to standard, international buyers were as keen to know about Al Ghurair’s logistics capabilities. Due to the complexity of exporting food items, she said this was a crucial part of the firm’s offering.
“A lot of the issues are around having the right documentation, being able to ship properly and on time – as well as the product. Because we’re exporting, actually understanding the documentation and the process, how to palletise things properly, how to get the most from a container, logistics, and so on,” said Watts.
Al Ghurair’s chairman Essa Al Ghurair saw personal success at Gulfood, when he was awarded the Outstanding Achievement prize at the show’s award ceremony. In his acceptance speech, Al Ghurair said he felt under a burden to do more for the industry.
“This is not the end, this is the beginning. I’m entering a new era where I have to even work harder to achieve more and more for the community, the people and the industry. I hope to live up to this award by giving even more,” he said at the ceremony.