Food & Drink PIF food unit builds Jeddah factory with Brazilian partner Halal Products Development Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, and Brazilian food processor BRF have started constructing a processed-food factory in Jeddah. The factory is being developed by the joint venture BRF Arabia Holding Company at a cost of $160 million, BRF said in a statement. Established in 2023, the venture […] April 22, 2025
Food & Drink PepsiCo to open Saudi research centre for Arab tastes PepsiCo has said it plans to open a research and development facility in Saudi Arabia focused on developing new products for Middle Eastern consumers. At a cost of SAR30 million ($8 million), the centre will be the largest of its kind in the Gulf region and located in Riyadh, the US company said as it […] April 21, 2025
Opinion Food & Drink Rising cocoa prices could dampen cravings for Dubai chocolate Climbing cocoa prices and new regulations may dent growth in the UAE's premium confectionery market April 21, 2025
Analysis Food & Drink Saudi Arabia’s expanding food sector faces high costs As the population grows and the economy swells, the food and beverage service industry in Saudi Arabia is expanding. Half Million, a coffee shop chain that started in the capital Riyadh in 2018, now operates 59 stores across the kingdom. Its 60th recently opened on London’s Oxford Street. Barn’s, a Jeddah-based coffee chain that already […] April 16, 2025
Food & Drink Saudi coffee chain Barn’s plans IPO on Tadawul Barn’s, a homegrown Saudi coffee chain, is planning an initial public offering (IPO) on the Tadawul stock exchange, with an aim to generate funds to finance Middle East expansion. It is working with Saudi regulator Capital Market Authority to meet the IPO criteria and appoint bankers for the potential offering, Bloomberg reported, citing CEO Mohammed […] April 15, 2025
Food & Drink UK company enters Dubai’s crowded rapid-delivery market Despite the congestion – in the market and on the streets of the UAE’s most populous city – yet another competitor, UK company Zapp, is entering Dubai’s rapid-delivery market. This is evidence there is still room for growth, analysts say. Zapp focuses on rapid grocery deliveries from its own so-called dark stores. A dark store is […] April 15, 2025
Opinion Media & Advertising Dubai chocolate is the golden ticket of city branding Food is part of a place's cultural identity. Plenty of cities and countries have dishes associated with them April 14, 2025
Food & Drink Turkish fish processors adapt as taste for sushi grows Turkish seafood processors are expanding their product range to cash in on new tastes, eating habits and markets, adding the Japanese delicacy sushi to their offerings. Not so long ago sushi was a rarity in Turkey. It featured on the menus of a few Japanese restaurants in tourist areas catering to foreign visitors rather than […] April 11, 2025
Opinion Food & Drink Ramadan’s impact on Gulf consumer trends, from dates to digital deals To thrive, food and beverage companies must adapt strategies to meet customers needs March 26, 2025
Food & Drink Supply restrictions send Turkey date prices soaring Prices for dates in Turkey ahead of Ramadan pretty much always rise because that is when demand surges. The Turks are otherwise not big eaters of the dried fruit. But during Ramadan it is usually the first food muslims in the Middle East and elsewhere tend to eat to break the fast after a long […] March 10, 2025
Food & Drink Climate change and rising costs challenge Turkish tea producers Turkey is one of the world’s biggest tea producers, and it is taking steps to increase its profile in the highly competitive international market February 24, 2025
Food & Drink Bring back smoking, say Jordan restaurateurs Bring back smoking! That is how desperate restaurateurs and cafe owners feel in Jordan after a drop in tourism last year, linked primarily to the wars in the Middle East. Among other measures, restaurateurs want the return of the shisha, the waterpipe smoking device that is popular across the Arab world, and over which smokers can […] February 21, 2025
Food & Drink Dubai company launches halal-brewed Arabian Ale A Dubai company has launched an ale which has been certified as halal since it contains no alcohol throughout the entire brewing process. Majlis Premium Arabian Ale, which is alcohol free, has been developed by a company called Midtown Factory, using many ingredients found in regular beer. Arabian Ale contains malted barley from Austria and […] February 20, 2025
Leisure & Hospitality Agthia’s stake in Egyptian snack group rises to 80% Agthia Group, a UAE-headquartered food and beverage company, has acquired an additional 10 percent stake in Abu Auf, an Egyptian healthy snacks retailer, increasing its ownership to 80 percent. The Auf family will continue to lead the business, the company said in a statement to the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange. Financial terms of the deal […] February 20, 2025
Opinion Food & Drink Rising prices open door for Saudi Arabia to lead coffee market With its favourable topography and climate, the Arabian Peninsula has the potential to be a major producer February 16, 2025
Analysis Food & Drink Dubai restaurants risk out-pricing customers on alcohol costs The cost of eating out in Dubai’s restaurants is rising, especially if you’re washing your meal down with an alcoholic drink. Last year, Dubai was named the third-most expensive city in the world for a half-litre of draught beer at an average of $10.89, according to price comparison website Numbeo. Qatar was number one, followed […] February 16, 2025
Opinion Food & Drink In sober spring, what better than ‘Wisewell on the rocks’ When you forsake the demon drink, perhaps purified, plastic-free water is the ideal replacement February 14, 2025
Food & Drink Americana Restaurants profit rises as Gaza boycott eases Americana Restaurants, the largest food service business in the Middle East and North Africa, said profit rose in the fourth quarter as a consumer boycott that is related to the Gaza conflict eased. Net income in the three months to December 31 rose 26 percent to $41 million, compared with $32 million in the same […] February 12, 2025
Food & Drink McDonald’s sales rebound in Middle East as boycott impact fades McDonald’s recorded sales growth in the Middle East in the fourth quarter of last year as the impact of boycotts tied to the Gaza war faded. This helped the US burger giant offset weaker performance elsewhere in the world. The fast food chain posted a 4.1 percent rise in Q4 sales in its international developmental […] February 11, 2025
Food & Drink Former KFC operator in Turkey files for bankruptcy IS Gida, the former operator of the KFC and Pizza Hut franchises in Turkey, has filed for bankruptcy after debt reached TR7.7 billion ($214 million). The filing comes a month after the US-based owner of KFC and Pizza Hut terminated its franchise agreements with the Turkish company, state-run Anadolu Agency (AA) reported. “The reality we […] February 10, 2025
Analysis Food & Drink Middle Eastern coffee market expected to hit $11bn The price of your half-caff, soya milk, extra hot with a pump of vanilla and a sprinkle of cinnamon is likely to go up this year, as the cost of coffee is set to increase by as much as one fifth. The Middle Eastern coffee market alone is projected to reach $11.5 billion in 2025, […] January 26, 2025
Food & Drink Americana acquires Pizza Hut business in Oman Americana Restaurants, the largest food service business in the Mena region, has acquired the Pizza Hut brand in Oman from the Khimji Ramdas Group. The restaurant operator said the acquisition includes 46 Pizza Hut restaurants which had an annual revenue of approximately $11 million in 2024. The additional outlets increase its Pizza Hut restaurants across […] January 24, 2025
