Food & Drink Abu Dhabi sets up $100m fund to elevate restaurant scene Abu Dhabi has set up a $100 million investment fund to help attract more global restaurant brands to the city. The Abu Dhabi Culinary Investment Fund, announced by the Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT) Abu Dhabi, will also support building and establishing a culinary school. The school will offer an established core curriculum and […] April 19, 2023
Banking & Finance Private equity fund aims to boost F&B growth in UAE and beyond A new private equity fund dedicated to scaling food and beverage brands in the Gulf has been launched by UAE-headquartered Shatranj Capital Partners. The fund will invest in launching select brands that have not yet made it to the Mena region. It will also focus on growing proven Mena franchise food and beverage (F&B) brands, […] April 5, 2023
Food & Drink Dubai F&B sector will coast through uncertainty, says CEO The food and beverage industry in Dubai can withstand economic uncertainty, according to the CEO of Merex Investment, developer of La Mer, a beachfront attraction with more than 100 restaurants, cafes and shops. It had been feared that further hikes in interest rates by the US Federal Reserve may lead to residents of countries with […] April 3, 2023
Opinion Sustainability Turning water and food shortages into global opportunity Research in the Middle East can play a transformative role in addressing water scarcity March 28, 2023
Exclusive Tech Food Tech Valley set to triple food production in Dubai The development of Food Tech Valley just outside Dubai represents a milestone in the UAE’s efforts to improve food security. The Emirates currently imports 90 percent of its food and only 5 percent of its land is suitable for arable production. Food Tech Valley, a partnership between the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and […] March 21, 2023
Analysis Retail $5bn extra Ramadan spending splurge predicted in UAE People in the UAE are upbeat about shopping and dining out more this Ramadan despite inflationary pressures and an elevated cost of living. Retail sales are set to rise to $66 billion over the holy month, up $5 billion compared to last year, a study by India-based Redseer Strategy Consultants says. It said that constant […] March 20, 2023
Banking & Finance Burger Index raises $1.3m as Gulf F&B sector is hungry for data Food and beverage data analytics platform Burger Index has raised $1.3 million to cater to rapidly growing demand across the GCC. The Madrid-based firm’s recent funding round was led by Flat6Labs, the Cairo-based seed and early-stage venture capital firm. Launched in January 2022, Burger Index provides market, competition and consumer intelligence in real time to […] March 16, 2023
Markets Bahrain’s VCBank lists Turkish F&B firm on Borsa Istanbul Bahrain’s Shariah-compliant Venture Capital Bank has listed Turkish food and beverage producer Goknur, its investee company, on the Borsa Istanbul exchange. A total of 79.25 million shares were offered to the public, which drew interests worth 6.9 billion liras ($364 million) and was 7.9 times oversubscribed. VCBank chief executive Robert C Wages said the market […] March 16, 2023
Exclusive Food & Drink Say cheese! Syrian refugee to take halloumi startup to Gulf A Syrian refugee who moved to the UK and set up a halloumi cheese company is looking to the Gulf as one of her first markets for international expansion. “We are always looking for investment because we know that we’ve got high demand in the UK,” Razan Al Sous, founder of Yorkshire Dama Cheese, told […] March 3, 2023
Tech AeroFarms: the US business growing up (and up) in the Gulf Agtech giant AeroFarms is seeding its indoor vertical farms all over the Gulf, launching significant ventures in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Qatar. The US company is set to play a pivotal role in tackling problems of farming in the desert-climate region, which has historically imported around 90 percent of its food requirements. AeroFarms claims […] March 1, 2023
Tech Baiting the hook to develop Saudi’s aquaculture industry Aquaculture – farming in water – is the world’s fastest-growing food sector, accounting for more than half of global seafood supply. For Saudi Arabia, eager to bolster its food security and to build non-oil exports, this is an opportunity. On February 12, Arabian Agricultural Services Company (Arasco) signed an agreement with Neom Food and Cargill, […] March 1, 2023
Tech The vertical farms stacking up across the UAE Food security is a top priority in the UAE government’s development goals outlined in its National Strategy for Food Security. Political will and private sector innovation are combining, and the result is an unprecedented wave of agricultural technology initiatives that aim to improve food self-sufficiency. Across the Gulf, the vast majority of food requirements have […] March 1, 2023
Tech Top 10 agtech innovators shaping the Mena market Lush plains criss-crossed by fresh water lakes and grasslands where hippos and elephants roamed. This was the Arabian peninsula in prehistoric times, according to archaeologists who have uncovered traces of fertile landscapes beneath the desert sands. Today the terrain looks very different, as the region’s governments race to confront food scarcity on a warming planet. […] March 1, 2023
Food & Drink UAE food delivery sector has strong appetite for growth The UAE’s food delivery market is yet to reach saturation point, according to industry experts, and there is still plenty of room at the table for others to join the party. Statista, the Hamburg research platform, reported that the sector in the UAE is forecast to see annual growth of 6.33 percent overall through to […] February 22, 2023
Exclusive Food & Drink Chef Jason Atherton sees Dubai as hotspot for restaurant openings When British restaurateur and celebrity chef Jason Atherton was searching for the location of his latest business venture, Dubai was a no-brainer. He met and married his wife Irha in the emirate and is quick to describe Dubai as “like a second home to me”. The launch of City Social, which opened its doors earlier […] February 20, 2023
Food & Drink Saudi prince joins round for US-based alt protein startup KBW Ventures, the venture capital firm founded by Saudi Arabia’s Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed, has completed a second round of investment in Seattle-based food manufacturing technology company Rebellyous Foods. The US company, which makes plant-based chicken substitute and is led by former aerospace engineer Christie Lagally, raised $9.5 million in its latest equity round. Rebellyous […] February 16, 2023
Tech PIF and AeroFarms to build indoor vertical farms across Mena The Public Investment Fund (PIF) has signed a joint venture agreement with AeroFarms, a US-based sustainable indoor agriculture company, to build and operate indoor vertical farms across the wider Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region through a newly-established company in Riyadh. The agreement will optimise the utilisation of natural resources, including water and agricultural […] February 2, 2023
Tech Farming tech startup moves HQ from Europe to UAE A Finnish tech startup is swapping the green countryside of Northern Europe for the Arabian desert as it looks to grow its urban farming business. iFarm was invited in November to join the incentive programme of Abu Dhabi’s Hub71, the technology project led by Mubadala Investment Company and backed by the Government of Abu Dhabi. […] February 1, 2023
Food & Drink Forget ‘Dry January’ – more Gulf drinkers ditching booze all year Dry January, the initiative of abstaining from alcohol for the first month of the year, has become a yearly fixture in many people’s lives since it was launched by Alcohol Change UK in 2013, and the Middle East is no exception. “We definitely see sales increase in the UAE,” Erika Doyle, founder and managing director […] January 27, 2023
Exclusive Food & Drink Cashless economy is at the door, says food delivery boss A cashless economy in the UAE is no longer just an ambition, according to Tatiana Rahal, managing director of food delivery giant Talabat UAE. “The future in the UAE is digital and we see cashless payments as the primary currency,” said Rahal, the company’s first MD who has previously worked on data analytics for brands […] January 23, 2023
Analysis Banking & Finance Agtech startups and Egypt are hot prospects for Mena funding Startups across the Middle East and North Africa region raised $125 million in funding in December last year, with Egyptian companies leading the pack, ahead of regional powerhouses the UAE and Saudi Arabia. A joint report by Wamda and Digital Digest showed that Egyptian startups secured $45.7 million across 11 deals in December, more than […] January 13, 2023
Analysis Food & Drink Gulf hotels and cloud kitchens join forces to cook up extra profit Partnership between hotels with spare capacity and fast-growing cloud kitchens is a “no brainer”, say industry experts. Radisson Hotel Group in Dubai recently announced a partnership with food technology company Krush Brands, with the first cloud kitchen location at Radisson Red Silicon Oasis. Cloud kitchens are companies that prepare food solely for home delivery without […] January 9, 2023
