Dubai-based Notions Group, a leading confectionary and savoury manufacturer in the Middle East region, aims to double the production of its chocolate brand in the next five years with the launch of a new plant in the emirate.

The move comes as part of its global expansion plan and in line with its projected growth in the horizon, said a statement from the company.

Notions Group has amrked three years of successful global export through their online store and partnership with global logistics giant FedEx.

The global export success story was part of a short documentary produced by FedEx’ to highlight the power of access and its impact on the growth of local businesses; this time picking a delicacy from the Middle East and showing how supporting its efficient courier service across seven continents has helped turn Chocodate into a global brand.

Over recent years, FedEx has been a major contributor and a driving force behind helping Chocodate respond to the growing Online demand for these little treasures of Arabia that now reach many craving consumers all around the world: thanks to FedEx, said the company in its statement.

In the documentary that shares the success story of this local brand that went global, Fawaz Masri, the CEO of Notions Group and the man who created Chocodate back in 1992, shares his vision of wanting to create a product that could take Arabia to the world.

“We had ruled out the possibility of shipping to individual consumers outside the UAE due to the high cost implications,” says Masri, “Even though we had been receiving numerous requests from customers in markets where our brand was not available, we simply could not justify the shipping charges until FedEx came into the picture!”

“FedEx came onboard as a partner and helped us develop a retail export strategy through which Chocodate™ fans could order our products by purchasing their preferred packs at our online store and have them shipped to virtually any country in the world,” explains Masri.

The tremendous demand for the Chocodate brand has been a true testimony to the product’s success beyond the Middle East where dates are a traditional dessert, he says.

“I couldn’t be more proud than to see people of different cultural backgrounds not only enjoy this brand but also become loyal consumers who actively talk about it through social media and have been expressing their love for our products since the brand’s inception two decades ago,” adds Masri.

“I am grateful to this amazing partnership with FedEx that has truly complemented our efforts to produce a consistent quality product that appeals to people from all over the world; their support has not only helped our brand expand, but also become a local brand with global reach,” says Masri.

Notions Group was founded in 2008 as the holding group for Dubai-based chocolate factory La Ronda established in 1990 and Saudi-based savoury snacks factory Star Foods launched in 1991.-TradeArabia News Service