Middle East Hungry for More Organics
I recently conducted some shopper research (shop-alongs) for my Australian beef client, OBE Organic, in the United Arab Emirates where their organic, grass-fed beef is available in supermarkets. The Middle Eastern market is constantly evolving, especially GCC countries, like the UAE and Saudi Arabia. Smart brands and retailers in the region are recognizing that consumers there are becoming fed up with unhealthy foods and are responding by offering more natural and organic options.
It will be interesting to see how many more companies will have certified organic products on offer during the Gulfood trade show coming up in Dubai 21-25 February 2016. Our client, OBE Organic, will be exhibiting at Gulfood, and is one of the brands responding to increasing consumer demand for organic beef, as well as high quality beef from Australia that consumers there know and trust.
Dubai in particular is different every time I visit, and on this most recent trip I was excited to see a growing number of organic food options available in mass retailers and specialty stores. When you go into a supermarket in the Middle East region, you'll likely to find products from all over the world, including Australia and the USA. And now, it's not uncommon to find entire sections dedicated to organic, natural or healthy products!
Below are some photos of organic sections and products I observed while in Dubai, UAE.
OBE Organic beef inside a Carrefour UAE store
For more information about OBE Organic's exhibit at Gulfood, please see their news release below. Media and bloggers covering Gulfood and interested in learning more about OBE Organic, or interviewing one of its leaders, should contact me, Lisa Mabe; my contact details are below.
- Lisa Mabe-Konstantopoulos, Founder, Green Purse PR
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Brand Exhibits at MLA Pavilion, Hall: Shk Rashid, Stand: R-K42
OBE Organic Sees Mums as Key to Winning in Middle East
Exhibits at Gulfood 21 – 25 February 2016
Brisbane, Queensland, Australia – 8 February 2016 – OBE Organic will be exhibiting at the upcoming Gulfood trade show in Dubai, UAE. Over 90,000 buyers come to Gulfood to deliver the widest selection of food & beverage choice to 160 countries.
At the show, OBE Organic will showcase its USDA & NASAA Certified Organic beef that is grass-fed and halal certified. OBE offers fresh, chilled beef and frozen trim programs available to grocery retailers, butcheries, restaurants and food service in the Middle East.
“Families in the UAE and throughout the Middle East region want healthier, chemical-free options,” says OBE’s General Manager, Dalene Wray. OBE just conducted consumer research in the UAE that uncovered many of the people buying its organic beef are health-conscious mums. “We learned that expats and nationals, Muslims and non-Muslims alike all want what’s best for their families; eating natural and organic foods are starting to become more convenient and more of a priority; we intend to keep leading the charge for other Australian food companies as we see this market as ripe for opportunity,” continued Wray.
“We are excited to respond the growing demand for organic food, like beef, in the region, as well as step up the quality of beef options available in supermarket meat departments,” continues Wray.
A testament to the brand’s foresight into the needs of the marketplace, OBE’s research indicates that educated, health-conscious consumers not only want good-tasting beef, but they also want to know a bit about where the cattle come from and who the farmers are.
Carrefour in the UAE has been stocking OBE for nearly four years and have been successful at attracting a variety of consumers. The brand expects many other retailers to follow as they are seeking to meet the increasing demand for natural and organic food.
“Coming from Australia where a lot of food companies are producing natural, organic and halal certified products, we’re happy to share our success story and promote the market as a great place for other Aussie companies to do business,” says Wray.
OBE Organic will be represented at Gulfood by Mr Andrew Blinco and Mr Ross Mackenzie. Please email them at sales@obeorganic.com to arrange a meeting or
visit them at our booth (MLA Pavilion, Hall: Shk Rashid, Stand: R-K42) to speak about your organic beef needs.
About OBE Organic
OBE Organic is Australia’s oldest organic beef marketing company, established by a group of family farmers in Australia’s Channel Country. It is still family-farmer-owned, and now sources beef from throughout Queensland, NSW, and South Australia. OBE Organic helps committed organic beef producers flourish by providing consistently high organic premiums, a strong focus on improving producer’s profitability and innovation, and support for producers to convert to organic. OBE Organic’s safe and nutritious organic grassfed beef is sold to rapidly growing markets in Australia, Asia, North America and the Middle East.
Media Contact: Lisa Mabe, Founder & CEO, Green Purse PR, lisa {at} greenpursepr {dot} com.
For more information about OBE Organic, please visit us online at www.obeorganic.com. You can also join us at: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
SHARE this news release online from the OBE Organic website here: http://bit.ly/1TizaAq