Mazola, a leader in quality food products across the Gulf, has said it aims to focus on expanding its business even further into the growing non-retail sector.

Mazola has appointed Farm Fresh as its new Hotel, Restaurant, and Café (HoReCa) distributor in the UAE, said a statement from the company.

Farm Fresh is a leading marketer and distributor of branded frozen, chilled and dry food products in the UAE and Oman, having a direct reach and coverage over all market segments, it said.

Simon Gottfried, vice president, Middle East and North Africa (Mena), said: “We feel that this move will give us the opportunity to increase business amongst professional staff that appreciate the quality and range of products that Mazola has to offer.”

According to a study by Alpen Capital Middle East, as a result of its rising population, the UAE is expected to witness the fastest growth in food consumption by 2019.

Mazola said that there is also an upsurge in food consumption anticipated in the other Gulf countries, resulting from promising macroeconomic developments.

This increase is expected to be at 3.5 per cent compound annual growth rate (CAGR) between 2014 and 2019, touching nearly 52 million metric tonnes.

Mazola has also gained further growth in Saudi Arabia, which is the largest food consuming nation in the GCC with an estimated annual average growth of 3 per cent from 2014.

Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain have also shown similar growth patterns ranging from 2.7 per cent to 3.2 per cent. Qatar led the GCC food consumption growth at CAGR of 5.5 per cent, followed by the UAE at 4.8 per cent.

Recent studies have shown that consumer spending in in the GCC food retails sector is expected to be worth almost $106 billion by 2017, said the statement.  

Saudi Arabia will continue to lead the region’s food sector, accounting for 59 per cent of the total consumption up until 2017. Saudi Arabia currently consumes 872 kg of food per capita, Qatar 852 kg, Kuwait 634 kg, and Bahrain 453 kg per capita while by 2017, per capita food consumption for the entire region is forecasted to reach 983 kg, it said.

According to statistics based on Euromonitor findings, UAE’s reliance on food imports amounts to more than 80 per cent of its food needs with expectations of a compound annual growth rate of 8 per cent on food and beverages spending in the UAE up till 2018, it added.

Mazola recently participated in the Saudi Food, Hotel & Hospitality Arabia (SFHHA) event.  – TradeArabia News Service