Company Insights Almarai Agriculture Almarai Overview Almarai was launched in Saudi Arabia by Irish brothers Alastair and Paddy McGuckian and Prince Sultan bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabeer. Initially set up to help local farmers produce and distribute milk, Almarai took on a more centralised structure in the 1990s, replacing scattered farms and production centres with a hub in Al Kharj. Almarai launched an IPO in 2005, offering 30 percent of its shares on the Tadawul stock exchange. Its major shareholders remain the founder Sultan bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Kabeer, along with the Public Investment Fund and food company Savola. Over time Almarai has diversified to other dairy products, and food and drink in general. Almarai’s facilities in Al Kharj produce milk for more than 55,000 stores in the Gulf, and are also home to a processing plant, a bakery, a logistics warehouse and an infant nutrition plant. It says its products are stocked in 220,000 stores and reach 42 million customers, and it has a fleet of 9,000 vehicles. Subsidiaries include L’Usine, Alyoum, Farm’s Select, Almarai Refresh, One Bean, Ice Leaf, Nuralac, Evolac, Almira and Seama. Almarai News Industry Almarai to increase poultry output by 35% Almarai, the Middle East dairy and food production group, announced plans to increase its poultry output by 35 percent this year as it continues with its multi-billion-dollar expansion plans. The Riyadh company reported fourth-quarter profit of SAR430 million ($115 million), an increase of 16 percent, as revenue rose 4.8 percent to SAR5.15 billion. It announced a […] January 22, 2025 Giga-projects Rising fuel and feedstock prices could fund Vision 2030 Higher feedstock and fuel prices introduced in Saudi Arabia are likely to play a part in funding the kingdom’s trillion-dollar Vision 2030 programme, according to a leading ratings agency. From the start of the month, the price of methane, the main component of natural gas and commonly used as a fuel in cement kilns, rose […] January 10, 2025 Agriculture Almarai to foray into food segments beyond dairy Almarai, the largest dairy producer in Saudi Arabia, will launch seafood and red meat facilities to help achieve the Vision 2030 goal of becoming food self-reliant. The company is building domestic production facilities for seafood and beef and lamb, which will become operational in two years, Bloomberg reported, citing CEO Abdullah Albader. In March, Almarai […] December 5, 2024 Analysis Agriculture Down on the farm, Saudi Arabia has a $9.8bn hole to fill The Saudi government is stepping up efforts to attract investors to its agriculture sector after identifying a funding gap of SAR37 billion ($9.8 billion). The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture says there are investment opportunities in plant and animal production, as well as fisheries, processing, manufacture of agricultural products and infrastructure development. Saudi Arabia […] November 28, 2024 Agriculture Arizona to prosecute Saudi company over water use The attorney general of the US state of Arizona is set to launch legal proceeding in the next two weeks against the Saudi dairy company Almarai over groundwater pumping on two farms in the state. Fondomonte, an Almarai subsidiary, grows alfalfa for animal feed on 6,000 acres in Butler Valley, La Paz County, Arizona, which […] November 14, 2024 Leisure & Hospitality Almarai Q3 2024 profit rises 17% amid revenue growth Almarai, the Middle East’s largest dairy farm, said third-quarter 2024 net profit rose 17 percent to SAR570 million ($152 million), compared with SAR486 million a year ago. The profit growth was driven by a 9 percent year-on-year increase in revenue to SAR5.2 billion amid growth in all product categories across all geographies, except Egypt. Despite […] October 7, 2024 Manufacturing Fall in Almarai’s Q2 revenue hits bottom line Revenues for Saudi Arabia’s Almarai, the Middle East’s largest dairy farm, fell 6 percent year on year in the second quarter of 2024, driven by seasonal changes in consumption patterns. The top line fell to SAR5.2 billion ($1.4 billion) during the April to June period, compared to SAR5.46 billion a year earlier. The drop in […] July 8, 2024 Leisure & Hospitality Almarai profit rises despite Egyptian pound devaluation Saudi Arabia’s largest dairy producer, Almarai, said profit rose 9 percent year on year as a result of higher volume growth and the ability to absorb the adverse impact of the Egyptian pound devaluation. Net profit reached SAR692 million ($184 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with SAR635 million a year ago, driven […] April 22, 2024 Food & Drink Almarai’s $4.8bn push to advance Saudi food security Almarai, the Middle East’s largest dairy farm, will spend more than SAR18 billion ($4.8 billion) under its new five-year strategic plan to achieve food security, which is part of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 goal. “Investment in the food industry contributes to achieving food security in the kingdom and the region,” the company said in a […] March 19, 2024 Sustainability Saudi company faces blowback over water use in Arizona The US state of Arizona has cancelled land lease deals with a subsidiary of the Saudi dairy company Almarai after complaints of groundwater being depleted in the arid region. The cancellation highlights tensions over corporations controlling foreign land for food security. In 2014 Almarai’s Fondomonte bought and leased thousands of acres in Arizona and California, […] March 12, 2024 Posts navigation 1 2 Next
Industry Almarai to increase poultry output by 35% Almarai, the Middle East dairy and food production group, announced plans to increase its poultry output by 35 percent this year as it continues with its multi-billion-dollar expansion plans. The Riyadh company reported fourth-quarter profit of SAR430 million ($115 million), an increase of 16 percent, as revenue rose 4.8 percent to SAR5.15 billion. It announced a […] January 22, 2025
Giga-projects Rising fuel and feedstock prices could fund Vision 2030 Higher feedstock and fuel prices introduced in Saudi Arabia are likely to play a part in funding the kingdom’s trillion-dollar Vision 2030 programme, according to a leading ratings agency. From the start of the month, the price of methane, the main component of natural gas and commonly used as a fuel in cement kilns, rose […] January 10, 2025
Agriculture Almarai to foray into food segments beyond dairy Almarai, the largest dairy producer in Saudi Arabia, will launch seafood and red meat facilities to help achieve the Vision 2030 goal of becoming food self-reliant. The company is building domestic production facilities for seafood and beef and lamb, which will become operational in two years, Bloomberg reported, citing CEO Abdullah Albader. In March, Almarai […] December 5, 2024
Analysis Agriculture Down on the farm, Saudi Arabia has a $9.8bn hole to fill The Saudi government is stepping up efforts to attract investors to its agriculture sector after identifying a funding gap of SAR37 billion ($9.8 billion). The Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture says there are investment opportunities in plant and animal production, as well as fisheries, processing, manufacture of agricultural products and infrastructure development. Saudi Arabia […] November 28, 2024
Agriculture Arizona to prosecute Saudi company over water use The attorney general of the US state of Arizona is set to launch legal proceeding in the next two weeks against the Saudi dairy company Almarai over groundwater pumping on two farms in the state. Fondomonte, an Almarai subsidiary, grows alfalfa for animal feed on 6,000 acres in Butler Valley, La Paz County, Arizona, which […] November 14, 2024
Leisure & Hospitality Almarai Q3 2024 profit rises 17% amid revenue growth Almarai, the Middle East’s largest dairy farm, said third-quarter 2024 net profit rose 17 percent to SAR570 million ($152 million), compared with SAR486 million a year ago. The profit growth was driven by a 9 percent year-on-year increase in revenue to SAR5.2 billion amid growth in all product categories across all geographies, except Egypt. Despite […] October 7, 2024
Manufacturing Fall in Almarai’s Q2 revenue hits bottom line Revenues for Saudi Arabia’s Almarai, the Middle East’s largest dairy farm, fell 6 percent year on year in the second quarter of 2024, driven by seasonal changes in consumption patterns. The top line fell to SAR5.2 billion ($1.4 billion) during the April to June period, compared to SAR5.46 billion a year earlier. The drop in […] July 8, 2024
Leisure & Hospitality Almarai profit rises despite Egyptian pound devaluation Saudi Arabia’s largest dairy producer, Almarai, said profit rose 9 percent year on year as a result of higher volume growth and the ability to absorb the adverse impact of the Egyptian pound devaluation. Net profit reached SAR692 million ($184 million) in the first quarter of 2024, compared with SAR635 million a year ago, driven […] April 22, 2024
Food & Drink Almarai’s $4.8bn push to advance Saudi food security Almarai, the Middle East’s largest dairy farm, will spend more than SAR18 billion ($4.8 billion) under its new five-year strategic plan to achieve food security, which is part of the kingdom’s Vision 2030 goal. “Investment in the food industry contributes to achieving food security in the kingdom and the region,” the company said in a […] March 19, 2024
Sustainability Saudi company faces blowback over water use in Arizona The US state of Arizona has cancelled land lease deals with a subsidiary of the Saudi dairy company Almarai after complaints of groundwater being depleted in the arid region. The cancellation highlights tensions over corporations controlling foreign land for food security. In 2014 Almarai’s Fondomonte bought and leased thousands of acres in Arizona and California, […] March 12, 2024
