In cooperation with 14 major industrial corporations and companies in the country

The Khalifa Fund allows Emirati entrepreneurs to implement and market innovative food projects

The Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development, in cooperation with 14 major industrial institutions and companies in the country, started yesterday the implementation of a new program to support Emirati entrepreneurs, by helping them start new projects in the food and beverage industry sector, and providing the manufacture of new innovative products that the market needs, with ease of marketing. .

Innovation Lab

The director of innovation in the fund, Qusai Abdel Wahab, said that the program, called the "Food and Beverage Innovation Lab", received more than 125 applications for participation, from young Emirati entrepreneurs, pointing out that many new product concepts were presented, and four projects were chosen to start. as a first stage.

Abdel Wahab added, in press statements, that the program, which is the first of its kind in the region, focuses on identifying the needs of industrial companies in the country, and overcoming the challenges of manufacturing and marketing for small Emirati projects, by putting forward ideas that industrial companies need, and helping to implement them, in cooperation with companies Large industrial area, with the aim of manufacturing required local food products, and contributing to their marketing.

He explained that the "Khalifa Fund" is working to open new areas for Emirati entrepreneurs in the food and beverage sector, which are different manufacturing sectors, other than the restaurants and cafes sector, and helps them export these products at a later stage.

He revealed that the Fund is considering extending the program to the health and beauty sector, pointing to the desire of many Emirati entrepreneurs to enter this sector.

He said that the "Food and Beverage Industry Group" in the country represents more than 200 factories of the largest food industries in the country.

Abdul Wahab stated that there are several ways to implement innovative ideas, represented in the agreement between industrial companies and Emirati entrepreneurs, to establish a production line in large companies, to produce the new product, or to obtain a share of the company's profits, or to sell the idea to the company for an agreed amount.

cooperation

For his part, the head of the food and beverage industry group in the country, Saleh Lootah, said that the "Food and Beverage Innovation Lab" program aims to help Emirati entrepreneurs enter the food and beverage industry with innovative products that are manufactured, in cooperation with 14 major industrial companies in the country. Marketing them in the midst of great global competition in the local market, which requires focusing on innovative ideas and facilitating marketing.

Lootah stressed that training is being provided to Emirati entrepreneurs, in cooperation with industrial companies, during the new program, to inform them of how to become entrepreneurs, with training them to transform the innovative ideas they presented into innovative projects, as well as learning various financial, administrative and marketing skills, pointing out that That the program includes the manufacture of innovative industrial products in the factories of these companies with their own hands for the first time.

Lootah revealed that there are currently 500 companies and factories for food industries in the UAE, which have a strong infrastructure that supports achieving food security, and provides global expertise and advanced research centers, pointing out that the “Covid-19” pandemic has proven the importance of food security, especially after the difficulties it faced. Global supply chains during the pandemic, and the challenges of the arrival of imported goods.

winning ideas

The owner of a winning idea in the program, Bakhita Ziyad, said that she presented an idea for manufacturing inspired by the challenges of the “Covid 19” pandemic, noting that her idea includes manufacturing smart machines that connect to the Internet to sell food products, and provide smart payment options.

She added that the proposal includes selling Emirati food through this machine.

In turn, Emirati citizen Shaima Al-Zaabi said that she presented an idea to manufacture food products with the flavor of Emirati bezar, pointing out that experiments are currently being conducted on packaging operations, to be manufactured in the Middle East region.

As for the citizen, Roya Abdullah Al-Hafiti, she stated that she presented an idea to manufacture food products, including dairy products, stressing that the implementation of the idea is being discussed with a major industrial company.

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