Gulfood shoppers demand green products this year

Green-thinking clients at Gulfood 2012 have put energy efficiency at the top of their lists when shopping for equipment, Brian Ballinger, general manager at Heidi Chef solutions, has revealed.

Talking to Caterer, he said: “Green thinking is starting to embed in clients’ minds. They realise that there is value in energy saving. Gas here is not expensive, but there is not gas in the country and getting it here can be difficult.

"Utility costs are going up and people in the baking industry want technology that will make them a significant saving."

Ballinger said the firm's MIWE e+ oven saves bakers 15-20% energy and the UAE is the first market outside of Europe for it to be sold in.

"It shows that it’s a technology that’s in demand here," he continued. "Our Econova system has proved popular too. It’s a heat-recovery system that captures flu gas which can be used to produce hot water."

According to Ballinger, the GCC is the third-highest performing market, behind China and Hong Kong for the firm.

 “Sales for MIWE ovens in 2011 brought in €650,000 ($862,000), and we are confident of achieving our target of €850,000 ($1,127,000) in 2012," he added.