Mondelēz International, the snack-food spin-off from Kraft Foods and one of the world’s leading makers of chocolates, biscuits, gum and candy, said it is celebrating its launch as a new company with special events in the GCC region.

The regional celebration is part of a worldwide event involving around 100,000 Mondelēz International employees across over 80 countries and 300 offices, research and development facilities, distribution centers and manufacturing sites.

The company, whose name is a newly-coined word that evokes the idea of a world of "delicious products," will mark its launch across its GCC operations in the UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
   
Formerly Kraft Foods, the maker of many of the world’s most beloved food and beverage brands - including Tang, Kraft Cheese, Cadbury, Toblerone, LU Biscuits, Milka, Oreo, and Trident - changed its name to Mondelēz International after spinning-off its North American grocery business on October 1.

The Kraft Foods Middle East and Africa division is part of the Mondelēz International family of companies and certain legal entities within that division will change their names in due course, to reflect the name of the new global company, said a senior official.
 
"While our name might be new, we've had a strong heritage in the GCC for decades and millions of times a day consumers choose our iconic brands," remarked Vishal Tikku, the managing director of GCC and Middle East Shared Services.

"We use our successful global approach, adapting global recipes to local tastes. Our inspiration comes from listening to consumers to create foods that fit their lives. Today marks the start of a very exciting future as we become the world’s largest chocolate and biscuit maker,” said Tikku.

"Our celebration will bring together around 550 employees and commemorate what we are all about: creating delicious moments of joy through our much loved products," he added.

Mondelēz, operating as Kraft Foods or other predecessor companies, has sold brands in the GCC for close to 100 years and operations based here since 2000.

The company employs around 680 people in the region, including 182 people employed as part of its Pakistan operations, which is led from the company’s regional head office based in Dubai.

From here the company oversees sales, distribution and operations in the GCC and other markets including Libya, Iraq, Algeria, and Yemen. The company also operates manufacturing facilities in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.

Its largest-selling products in the region include Kraft and Philadelphia Cheese, Tang, Cadbury Dairy Milk, Flake and Oreo.

“This is a very special day. We’re making our debut as Mondelēz International and unleashing a global snacking powerhouse that is uniquely positioned to delight consumers,” said Irene Rosenfeld, the chairman and CEO.

“We’re the world’s greatest start-up. We have $36 billion in momentum and brands like Oreo, Cadbury and Milka that have been loved by consumers around the world for generations,” he added.-TradeArabia News Service