Al Rawdah (Emirates Modern Poultry)
Caterer Middle East speaks to Al Rawdah (Emirates Modern Poultry) head of food service, Paul Farhat
Why is it important that you support the Caterer Middle East: Food & Business Conference?
In partnership with Caterer Middle East Magazine, we find this sponsorship a no brainer decision as it ticks all our boxes. This is a great means for us as a relatively new player in the Food Service sector to broaden our competitive edge by making Al Rawdah Food Service image resonate with our target market. It is also important for us to improve our credibility by supporting events that our target market finds attractive while leveraging the already strong brand awareness Al Rawdah is enjoying in the retail sector.
Moreover, since supporting similar events is nowadays considered one of the most effective tools of marketing that transcends cultural & language barriers, hence our focus to make this a success and further emphasize the importance of local fresh produce as an inevitable alternative as far as chefs are concerned.
What do you think are the main challenges facing UAE F&B professionals in 2017?
The UAE food & beverage market is growing in size as well as sophistication. This being said, F&B professionals are being faced with increasing challenges while striving to keep their cost under control at no compromise to quality. Tapping into new markets, staying ahead of the growing competition, as well as looking into newly emerging trends are all factors that are becoming part of an F&B professional’s daily routine.
While most published reports are usually focused on figures, I see the challenge in 2017 to be more intangible & strategic that requires every professional to make it their mission to stand out and differentiate themselves in a way, especially as we head towards the highly anticipated 2020; until then I believe it’s going to be a survival of the fittest environment where creativity & proper market awareness will play a big role.
We have actually started to feel the influx as local producers in response to the above strategic thinking as most chefs are choosing a more sustainable & reliable sourcing of their quality products.
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What most excites you about the UAE F&B industry in 2017?
As one of the biggest poultry producers in the UAE, we are extremely excited about Al Rawdah Food Service potential in 2017 and very thrilled with the growth rate the market is anticipated to achieve as this will reflect growth in top line figures. Apart from the realistic nature of business, we are most excited to see the industry being steered to higher standards, the bar is being raised by operators & government alike, the thing that reflects better controls & make us and all those who share our vision have a sense of belonging and further push forward to refine the finished products we all enjoy having whether at a hotel, restaurant or food truck.
What are the main topics you expect to come up at the conference?
In order for this conference to be effective, I believe some pressing issues are expected to come up and further actions required in order to send a message to all concerned. Such topics can be the Halal market regulations and the recently introduced certification requirements, inspections not only at F&B outlets but also at supplier premises & production facilities, Local sourcing & the right to inspect, organic ingredients and how to change this exclusivity that shrouds the use of Organic, as well as tackle the actual never ending debate on authenticity of dining concepts and what it takes to have a restaurant being labelled as authentic and true to its origins, hence leading to the economic aspect of how feasible it is to operate such concepts in the UAE.
What news can we expect from your company in 2017/2018?
•Al Rawdah is the first poultry producer awarded the official UAE HALAL seal by ESMA; moreover, we have been awarded the Emirates Quality Mark seal after a rigorous audit process.
•The expansion of our processing facility brings us to commission and finalize the installation of new machinery that will get us launching a few new products during the upcoming Gulf Food show.
•Our new farm being built at Liwa is set to double our production capacity; the project is on schedule and will start operations by mid-2017.
•The process of implanting a new sophisticated ERP system that will go live by the last quarter of 2017 will establish additional controls and will raise our service level index as well as customer satisfaction.
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