February 2020
All the latest from the Middle East hospitality industry
Living the brand Vida Hotels and Resorts’ GM on a homegrown brand, with a global feel
Taste the Future All about GulfHost 2020
Ahead of the Game Bidfood Middle East CEO Hisham Aljamil on the foodservice giant’s unstoppable business growth
P28 - Gulfood 2020 set to revolutionise the food and beverage industry
February 2020
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On the web Read the latest news, features and much more on our website. www.hotelnewsme.com
08 News
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26 Further Afield
February 2020 // Issue #020
Contents 28 Event Preview
40 Chain of the month
Features 08 //
News Bidfood UAE launches coffee range, Dubai Tourism reveals holiday homes guidelines
17 //
EVENT PREVIEW GulfHost
18 //
COVER STORY Bifood UAE
26 //
FURTHER AFIELD The Land of Milk
28 //
EVENT PREVIEW Gulfood 2020
40 //
GM Interview Vida Hotels & Resorts
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February 2020 // Issue #020
Contents
On the web Read the latest news, features and much more on our website. www.hotelnewsme.com
Features
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44 //
CHAIN FOCUS IHG
48 //
MARKETPLACE Chocolate
50 //
PRODUCTS The Latest
52 //
EVENT PREVIEW ATM
54 //
WHAT’S COOKING? Seagrill Bistro
56 //
MOVERS & SHAKERS Priviliee
58 //
REVIEW
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February 2020
Editor's letter
A note from the editor
D i n a Maa t y
Director Rabih Najm Rabih@bncpublishing.net CEO Wissam Younane Wissam@bncpublishing.net Group Commercial Director
Samer Alloush samer@bncpublishing.net Editor
Dina Maaty
here’s no doubt, these are exciting times in the UAE. I’ve been talking about how lucky we were to be here, at this moment in time, but while working on this issue, I really felt the magnitude of what was coming. Gulfood 2020 is almost here, and with it some of the biggest industry players from every corner of the globe coming together to connect, discuss opportunities and transform the industry for years to come. According to the Department of Economic Development (DED), Dubai reached almost 12,000 restaurants in 2018. We saw a 10% increase from the year before and restaurant numbers are expected to grow at 8% into 2020. The expected influx of tourists from Expo 2020 will support this growing market, however, industry giants such as JLL believe that in order to ensure growth, a strong tenant mix, a well thought-out strategy and the right quantum of spaces will all be key factors for a development to be successful. Also coming in 2020 is GulfHost, an event of Gulfood, promising more than 2,500 brands, a showcase of 8,000 products across six core sectors, and 25,000 buyers to the global centre for international hospitality
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trade. That’s a lot of decision-making, and plenty of astronomical happenings of massive impact, too. As we approach Expo 2020, there will be plenty of commentary from the heart of the hospitality and F&B industries on trends, expectations and more. While it’s crucial to keep an open mind, we also need to remember to stick to the positive side of the wave, not out of blind optimism, but due to the fact that the numbers are already proving how incredible the success the event is going to bring to the market is going to be – and we just can’t wait to witness it all. The pursuit of authentic and unique eating and drinking experiences will be largely seen among MEA consumers, as they become more influenced by global trends. Consumer foodservice value in MEA is expected to reach $70 billion by 2020, with growth rates hovering between 3% and 5% during the forecast period, says Euromonitor International. 2020 is looking very creative so far, and for industries that revolve around this notion, we couldn’t have asked for a better way for the hard work to finally pay off. See you in March! Regards, Dina
dina@bncpublishing.net Contributors
Ahmed Alkhedr Afshan Jamal Art Director Aaron Sutton Aaron@bncpublishing.net Photographer
Farook Al Saliq Marketing Executive
Aaron Joshua Sinamban Aj@bncpublishing.net
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For all commercial enquiries related to Hotel & Catering News ME contact samer@bncpublishing.net T +971 55 776 4670 All rights reserved © 2014. Opinions expressed are solely those of the contributors. Hotel & Catering News ME and all subsidiary publications in the MENA region are officially licensed exclusively to BNC Publishing in the MENA region by Hotel & Catering News ME. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without written permission of the publisher. Printed by UPP
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January 2020
News
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Bidfood UAE launches exclusive range of specialty coffee for foodservice
Bidfood UAE announced today the launch of Black + White Coffee Co, its new private label of specialty-quality coffee exclusively for the foodservice channel. The Black + White Coffee Co-branded products are designed ‘to deliver the very best coffee experience at a reasonable price’. The launch comes as Bidfood UAE’s answer to the rising awareness among consumers on the origins and 8
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intricacies of coffee production. “The UAE has increasingly become a nation of coffee lovers and consumers simply expect a great cup of coffee, anytime, anywhere,” says Bidfood UAE’s Beverage Marketing Manager Jad Asaad. “Quality of taste is at the heart of the Black + White Coffee Co range – we want to enable our customers to stay ahead of the competition with unrivalled product quality. We
wanted to bring something different to the market that is of great quality but also of great price; we have introduced three blends: Orion, Night Sky and Single Origin.” According to Bidfood UAE, the range is carefully selected using the finest beans for a full-bodied and smooth finish, including the Fairtrade and single-origin options. The packaging is designed to ensure that the coffee beans stay
fresh and of highest quality, all the while being presented in a contemporary packaging that looks great stacked on display shelves and behind counters in coffee shops. A full complement of support materials are available for foodservice outlets that choose to carry the Black + White Coffee Co brand, including branded cups, mugs, t-shirts, aprons, caps, as well as a range of equipment to suit. www.hotelnewsme.com
January 2020
News
Expansion
Hilton to quadruple its portfolio in Saudi Arabia Hilton expects to quadruple its portfolio in the Kingdom throughout the next five years to more than 50 hotels, with a total of 16,000 rooms open across the Kingdom. Hilton, which currently operates five of its brands in Saudi Arabia – Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton and Hilton Garden Inn – continues to grow and develop and introduce new brands to the country, including its lifestyle brand, Canopy by Hilton, and its Embassy Suites by Hilton brand. Tourism
Dubai Tourism releases new guidelines for holiday homes sector Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (Dubai Tourism) has announced an administrative order clarifying the law of Decree No. 41, introduced in 2013 to govern holiday home activity in Dubai. The order outlines regulations for operators, homeowners and authorised tenants, who wish to obtain a holiday home license, and has been produced in collaboration with the Supreme Legislation Committee to further diversify tourism in the emirate and boost competition through safe and transparent operations. The technical requirements, guidelines and processes will be mapped out in a detailed guide issued by Dubai Tourism, which will also provide an overview of the operations of a holiday home, how a license can be obtained and should be maintained, and the rights and liabilities of developers, operators and homeowners.
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts welcomes Susan Sarandon as global brand ambassador Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has welcomed a new Global Brand Ambassador – Oscar-winning actress and UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Susan Sarandon. According to Fairmont, Sarandon will star in a global brand campaign that will portray the transformative power of travel, connecting Fairmont’s history and hotels with modern sensibilities and the dreams of a new generation of travelers. The campaign is expected to be revealed in key markets around the world in Spring 2020.
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February 2020
News
Beverages
Thumbay Group’s hospitality division launches premium Blends & Brews Coffee Shoppe ‘Dolci’ brand
Blends & Brews Coffee Shoppe, a network of UAE-born coffee shops under Thumbay Group’s Hospitality division, has launched its premium brand ‘Dolci’ with its first outlet opened at Thumbay University Hospital, Thumbay Medicity, Ajman on January 14, 2020. Akbar Moideen Thumbay, vice president of the Healthcare
division of Thumbay Group, was the chief guest of the opening ceremony held in the presence of Farhad C, director of the Hospitality division and Dr Faisal Parvez, COO of Thumbay University Hospital. The ‘Dolci’ concept combines premium features with the service standards of the Blends & Brews brand, de-
livering an exclusive, personalised experience to customers. The new coffee shop serves a variety of hot and cold beverages and an assortment of short-eats catering to local and international tastes. It also offers a range of sugar-free delicacies including drinks, cookies and cakes. Blends & Brews Dolci is lo-
cated on the ground floor of Thumbay University Hospital, the largest private academic hospital in the region, close to the hospital’s main entrance and reception area. The store caters to the needs of hospital visitors as well as medical students from the academic hospital, with experienced baristas on hand.
Dining
Verve Bar & Brasserie to hold signature dish masterclasses Verve Bar & Brasserie’s Chef Torman Hamouda will be holding masterclasses every Monday and Friday afternoon from 12pm to 3pm. Guests will be taught how to create Verve’s signature dish, the traditional Beef Wellington, which diners can then enjoy as part of a three-course lunch after the lesson for only 12
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AED 395 per person. Beginning with the preparation behind a Beef Wellington, Chef Torman will take the attendees through the steps to create the dish. Once the main course is prepped, guests will be given a detailed demonstration by the Chef on what it takes to execute the perfect risotto. www.hotelnewsme.com
February 2020
News
Openings & Launches MonViso mineral water now available at Spinneys and Waitrose UAE
MonViso, a 100% natural Italian mineral water brand born in the UAE, is now available across Spinneys and Waitrose UAE stores. “Take Water. Give Life”, an original sales donation programme designed by MonViso, donates AED 1 for every 1 litre sold by programme participants.
Until end of December 2019, the initiative raised 614,437 litres donated to Al Jalila Foundation, a global philanthropic organisation founded by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, VicePresident and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Dubai, dedicated
to transforming lives through medical research, education and treatment. In line with Spinneys and Waitrose’s focus on sustainability and CSR activities, for every litre of MonViso water sold in their stores , AED 1 will go towards the “Take Water. Give Life” initiative.
Mohammad Abdulaziz Al Rajhi and Sons Investment Co. to open new hotels in Saudi Arabia Mohammad Abdulaziz Al Rajhi and Sons Investment Co. celebrated its contribution towards the boost in Saudi Arabia’s burgeoning hospitality industry at a board meeting held at the company ’s latest hotel project – voco Al Khobar. Owned by
heirs of Sheikh Mohammad Bin AbdulAziz Al Rajhi, the company is working with Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) to develop the tourism sector in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Several new hotels are planned to open in the King-
dom’s largest cities over the next two years. Mohammed AbdulAziz Al Rajhi & Sons Investment Co are leveraging the growth opportunities from the changes currently underway in the hospitality and tourism sector in Saudi Arabia.
Marriott International inks deal to open largest Fairfield hotel in Saudi Arabia Marriott International, Inc. today announced that it has signed a landmark agreement with Nahdet Al-Mashaer to open a 2,600-room Fairfield by Marriott property in Makkah. The agreement is expected to deliver the first Fairfield by Marriott property to the Middle East and Africa region, create the largest Fairfield hotel in the world and bring one of the largest hotels to the growing religious destination of Makkah. Construction for the Fairfield by Marriott Makkah Al Naseem has already commenced and the hotel is slated to open in 2023.
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February 2020
News
Appointments Nestlé Professional MENA appoints food manager
New appointments at Gates Hospitality Gates Hospitality has announced two additions to their senior management team with the appointment of James Dawkins, director of operations across all Gates Hospitality venues and Darryl Downs who will take on the role of general manager at folly by Nick & Scott. “We’ve added two exceptionally strong players to the Gates Hospitality team with James and Darryl – both are experts in their field and I’m really proud to have them on board as we start 2020,” says Naim Maadad, CEO and founder, Gates Hospitality.
Nestlé Professional MENA has appointed Ayça Koç as food manager. She joins Nestlé with more than 12 years of solid B2C and B2B marketing experience, delivering insight-based food and beverage solutions to drive sales, while attracting new customers and maintaining current ones. Koç says: “I believe with my 14
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previous food marketing experience in B2C and B2B channels , and harmonising both in Nestlé Professional with having Chefs on board, my aim will be to grow our customers’ businesses with creative and winning solutions in the Food, Dairy and Confectionary categories based on relevant Consumer & Market Insights.’’
Fairmont The Palm announces senior-level appointments Fairmont The Palm, Dubai has announced three new appointments within its team. The announcements include a new director of spa, Tina Deniz, cluster director of IT, Mohammad Qattash and a promotion for Executive Sous Chef Anup Pawar, who has been promoted to executive chef.
RATIONAL appoints new managing director RATIONAL Group, a market and technology leader in the field of hot food preparation for professional kitchens, has appointed a new managing director. On February 1, 2020, Thomas Hofer will take over the position of managing director at RATIONAL Kitchen and Catering Equipment Trading FZCO. Hofer had already been employed with the RATIONAL Group since January 2014 and was most recently the temporary managing director of their subsidiary in Spain, who will now relocate to Dubai. The handover phase, with former Managing Director Simon ParkeDavis, will be finished by the end of January 2020. Alexander Wimmer, executive vice president EMEA, will lead RATIONAL in NME temporarily until Hofer’s appointment. www.hotelnewsme.com
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February 2020
Opinion
A Breath of Fresh Air?
A monthly column by Martin Kubler, CEO, chief cook and bottle washer of sps:affinity – Strategic Partnership Solutions I’ve been involved in sifting through and replying to online reviews for hotels and restaurants almost since they first “became a thing” around 2005/6. TripAdvisor actually started in 2000, but it took a few more years for online reviews to really take off and, since then, I must have read and replied to thousands of reviews. Mostly, I’m happy to say, positive ones. I didn’t really stop dealing with reviews when I started my own company, because online review handling and reputation management are two of our most popular services. I just had a look in our system and, over the past six months, we’ve dealt with close to 5,000 online reviews across TripAdvisor, Google, booking.com, Facebook, Zomato, and a variety of other platforms: 82% of all of these reviews were positive. Dealing with all of these reviews and comments for a variety of hotel and F&B clients puts us in a unique position and lets us spot current trends and, sometimes, forecast future developments. One of the trends we’ve seen rising over the past year for bars in the UAE were comments about smoking. Across all our bar clients, approximately every 10th negative review is smoking-related, and the trend seems to be accelerating. Smoking regulations and laws have changed little in the UAE over the past 10 years or so, although the introduction of VAT saw the government taxing tobacco products at a higher rate. Plus, regulations on hubbly bubbly were revamped and tightened. I still recall when one of the region’s larger operators opened the first completely smoke-free bar at the JBR about three years ago and a fair few people laughed at the idea. The bar turned out 16
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to be a resounding success. Just the other day, I received news that one of the city’s smaller bar operators is going smoke-free in all of their outlets, with smoking only allowed in outdoor areas. Looking at the increasing number of negative online reviews mentioning smoking, it seems to me that we won’t have to wait for the government to restrict smoking in bars in the UAE, but that the transition process has already started and will only gather momentum in the coming months. If you’re concerned that going smoke-free in a region where not all bars are non-smoking will affect your business, you could always do what the bar operator I mentioned earlier did
and go non-smoking indoors only at first. Luckily, the weather over here is, by large, much better than in Europe and if smokers in Ireland can stand smoking outside, their counterparts over here should find it – pardon the pun – a breeze. There’s no doubt whatsoever that the shift to non-smoking F&B outlets is here to stay, so your choice is to either be an early-adopter or wait until you’re forced into it. Personally, I prefer the first option, because it seems to be backed by guest feedback and also allows you to smugly sit back, if non-smoking in bars ever becomes mandatory, and grin at your fellow operators who didn’t join the movement earlier. www.hotelnewsme.com
February 2020
Event preview
GulfHost 2020: The Future of Hospitality in Dubai GulfHost, an event of Gulfood, will take place from April 6-8 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. Bringing suppliers of a wide range of kitchen solutions and dining apparel to Dubai, it offers an opportunity to connect with the biggest hospitality buyers in one of the fastest-growing markets in the world
Show features GulfHost Restaurant Development Conference The GulfHost Restaurant Development Conference, powered by the Middle East Food Forum (MEFF) is an open-door, transformative learning platform hosted by the brightest lights in regional F&B. Over three days, more than 60 high-profile speakers take to the floor to share their proven methods for navigating the latest shifts in local and regional foodservice. UAE National Barista Championship Join an all-star line-up of world leading coffee brands and aficionados coming together to craft precision patterns and designer coffee in various formats. Running parallel to the brand new Café & Bar segment at GulfHost, regional baristas now have the chance to compete for industry acclaim at this internationally renowned platform certified by World Coffee Events (WCE) and organised by the Specialty Coffee Association UAE Chapter (SCAE). Sub-Category Zones include: • Café and Counter • Gelato & Bakery • HORECA Find out more at gulfhost.ae.
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February 2020
Cover Story
Ahead of
the
Game
Bidfood is one of the world's leading foodservice distribution companies outside North America, with its Middle East arm currently operating in five markets as a wholesale food distributor across different channels in the sector. Here, Bidfood Middle East CEO Hisham Aljamil tells Hotel & Catering News Middle East the story behind the company’s success
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www.hotelnewsme.com
February 2020
Cover Story
Bidfood Middle East - UAE Team, 2019 - Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Who are the entrepreneurs and visionaries behind the launch of Bidfood? Can you share a little about their history? What was initially an ahead-of-its-time venture to establish the first professional dedicated foodservice distribution company, the idea was born in 2003 as HORECA Trade, the leading partner of notable brands, distributing their frozen, chilled, ambient, and non-food related products across various channels of the foodservice." The co-founders of the business are myself, and my younger brother Wael, and it quickly established itself and accelerated, eventually in 2006 landing a partnership with world-renowned South Africa-based Bidfood Group, previously known as Bidvest. Since then, and under the guidance of Bidfood Group, HORECA Trade has grown exponentially in the UAE. In 2009, the Bidfood Middle East entity was established, expanding to other markets in the region (Saudi Arabia, Oman, Bahrain
and Jordan), which took the business to a different level, making it one of the leading players in the region. In today’s market, why would an F&B operator choose one supplier over the other? What makes them unique? In fairness to all stakeholders in the industry, I will share my thoughts and opinion on the current/existing relationship between operators and suppliers, rather than the newcomers. Traditionally, choosing a supplier would be most likely based on a financial decision (based on lower prices). However, this factor would become less impactful once a relationship is established, and the emphasis would shift to a focus on operator engagement with the supplier in terms of people rapport, service level, real-time information, capabilities, consistency in supply, initiatives on new innovations and products, credit terms, and more recently, the level of technology integrated. A unique supplier can’t survive on the long term and be sustainable – unless
there’s an equal focus on knowledge and investment across the value chain of the business. Savvy operators these days can clearly spot a solid, reliable supplier, which gives them the confidence to work with a supplier as an enabler to their growth. A unique competitive advantage of a supplier is being able to service regional accounts, and there are only a handful of players in the Middle East who are able to do that. Aside from a solid value chain within the supplier, governance, accreditation, social responsibility, gender equality, waste management, and business ethics are all factors which have gained importance on operator scorecards. Moreover, I personally believe that suppliers in the region are keen to improve their standards in the aforementioned, but the region has a long way to go. When do restaurant operators turn to their distributors for help? What’s their number one concern? The number one concern would be Hotel & Catering NEWS ME
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consistent pricing to address any fluctuations, followed by the same consistency in supply to ensure no business interruptions. Obviously, service, logistics and product integrity are standard expectations from operators. To be more specific and relevant to what has been happening over the last six months, operators were aggressively seeking no change in pricing and, in some cases, a reduction in pricing. They’ve also asked suppliers to revise the forecast downwards, and for lower quality products in order to achieve a lower price. However, they are also expecting suppliers and distributors to come up and propose innovative products that help them stand out against competition. The one major parameter that stands out, which has been on the radar of every distributor today, is the fact that customers are requesting an extension on their credit terms, and that puts a lot of restrictions on the working capital of the distributors. This is all a reflection of market realities here in the region. However, and controversially, there’s a direct correlation between the boom and de-growth, that even when the business booms and improves, with the customer increase of business, they still seek better payment terms and pricing. Equally, a supplier’s business continuity depends highly on loyal customers, healthy concepts and acceptable payment terms. Those three factors encourage suppliers to invest back into the business and provide operators with the service they seek. Who was the target foodservice customer when you began? How has that target expanded? At the embryonic stage of the business in 2003, the majority of foodservice business was generated from outlets within hotels. With the landscape changing over the last 15 years, the market has seen a major, impressive shift towards casual dining, street restaurants, local and international cafés, fine dining, catering companies, entertainment, and more recently commercial and industrial kitchens. Obviously, the hotel channel 20
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Bidfood Middle East - KSA Team at Saudi HORECA, 2019 - Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Bidfood Middle East Culinary Studio – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Bidfood Middle East Culinary Studio – Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
continues to grow, yet the aggressive government investment strategy and interventions over the last 15 years have set the ideal environment for the rest of the channels to flourish, too, contributing to the expansion of the UAE foodservice market. What’s the biggest supply-chain issue distributors and vendors are dealing with today? It’s a known fact that the majority of
F&B products consumed in the region are imported, and the percentage ranges from 65% to 85% across the region. There are many products manufactured and processed locally, yet raw materials and ingredients are also imported. This is a major concern across all stakeholders of the business, but governments across the region have put in place very aggressive interventions and investments to ensure food accessibility is achieved over time. www.hotelnewsme.com
February 2020
Cover Story
No fortune teller could have predicted the overall positive changes that we’re witnessing today in the Kingdom. That being said, food suppliers (being importers) across the board deal with many variables that relate to supply chain activity: most notably, currency fluctuation, commodity price fluctuation, freight and insurance costs, duty variation, ingredient restrictions, and compliance, but most importantly forecast accuracy. This lever in specific, once faced with a positive or negative deviation, can have a big impact in terms of opportunity cost or lost to the supplier and operator – due to an out-of-stock or over-stock situation. This is directly correlated to achieving the right service expectations for customers and the food waste parameter. "The market being relatively mid-size compared to others around the world, it's always difficult to comply with minimum order quantities, and, as such, suppliers' dilemma remains between the risk of launching and facing expiries or not launching and missing an opportunity." In the last year or so, the region’s geopolitical situation wasn’t the biggest source of confidence to producers worldwide, and providing additional credit facilities to the region’s distributors was a challenge, even at a time when the UAE’s credit rating was, relatively, the highest globally. This constituted a major handicap for suppliers when it came to growing their business. How do you see the future of the market in Saudi Arabia given the boom? No fortune teller could have predicted 22
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the overall positive changes that we’re witnessing today in the Kingdom. The speed at which Saudi Arabia is changing the foodservice landscape is catching up with the region’s standards and will continue to do so for the next five years or so, especially considering the strong pillars that the country already enjoys. Saudi Arabia is characterised by a young population, natural resources, religious tourism, the Red Sea and government initiatives towards entertainment, to name a few. With such a promising future come challenges to all stakeholders in the business. Specifically for a supplier, the challenge would be not only the willingness but the ability to quickly scale to accommodate such growth, specifically in the areas of human capital, infrastructure, product portfolio, among other factors. Clearly, this will put a lot of pressure on existing suppliers, but it will also open up opportunities for newcomers who will be more light and agile.
In my opinion, the Saudi Arabia will eventually compete – if not take over – market share from neighbouring markets such as the UAE, Egypt, Bahrain and Turkey and even some Asian markets. Another impact of the Saudi boom would be on foodservice operators, where they will be able to scale their business and expand across major cities in the Kingdom, achieving economy of scale. The Kingdom’s foodservice market is known to primarily be in the casual dining and street restaurants arena, rather than hotels, thus creating a perfect platform for home-grown brands to grow and expand. Training and development both form a very important part of your ethos; how do you ensure staff are always ahead of the game? At Bidfood, we hire characters to build capabilities: that remains to be a main criteria in our selection and recruitment of people. To build on our talent’s www.hotelnewsme.com
February 2020
Cover Story
capabilities, we regularly participate in technical programmes with our suppliers and vendors across the value chain. For example, IT with software vendors, finance with banks and sales with brands. We hold regular training programmes to ensure that we continue to be a knowledge-based company. Equally, we focus on mentorship and coaching, building the right attitude, ensuring accountability, strengthening confidence, and expressing recognition. The Bidfood philosophy is to develop our people and promote from within, and this has been a key success factor to our business. What does Bidfood Middle East’s participation in Gulfood signify to you and the company? Our presence in Gulfood began in 2004 and, since then, we’ve always had a fingerprint one way or another, either via a HORECA Trade stand or through our suppliers’ participation. However, this
year is a bit unique, as we’re exhibiting to represent Bidfood Middle East, rather than a market, and our theme is "Innovation that Drives Profitability." We’ve undergone a corporate rebranding in July 2019 to bring together our regional operations under the one umbrella of Bidfood Middle East, allowing us to highlight our strength as a regional company and represent the global Bidfood Group name, which we’re proud to be a part of. As testament to our long-term sustainable growth and forward-thinking, we believe now is the perfect opportunity for us to host a unique exhibition stand at Gulfood 2020, with one face and one voice to tell the region about our outstanding product and service offerings for customers and suppliers alike, with passion. Twelve of Bidfood Middle East’s brands will present their products to thousands of local and international show attendees in their own branded spaces, while the rest of our portfolio will be highlighted through a daily menu served up by our in-house development chef at our central Culinary Demo Area inside the space. Exhibiting brands include Kraft Heinz, Violife, Sweet Street, General Mills (Häagen-Dazs, Green Giant, Old El Paso), CSM Bakery Solutions, FlavOil, Cornish Sea Salt, Black & White Coffee, Pacific West seafood, Monin syrups and puree, San Pellegrino water, Chefmate Ready to Eat and many more. What disruptive market trends are currently on BME’s radar? Healthier, more sustainable, planetfriendly alternatives to everyday products. Disruption is very dangerous if you don’t have a replacement for it. Our operators, customers and consumers are about to witness a very exciting development, which will change the landscape of certain categories and bring value and innovation to all of our stakeholders. Another disruption is the inevitable intervention of technology in the business. Bidfood, globally and in the Middle East, is on aggressive investment plans to ensure that we’re ahead of the game in being highly digital in our business. Online
ordering, paperless and minimal human intervention: these are a few initiatives that we’re focusing on at the moment. What would you consider success factors of a foodservice distribution company? Simply put, we believe in “Do What You Do Best” and that simply means to focus on the core strength of the business model, rather than being a jack-of-alltrades. Once this is established as a principle, then the rest of the value chain comes into place, most importantly the calibres of human capital. A success factor, to me, is a company that has survived the boom and downtrend, yet grown over the last decade – one that has weathered the storm, taken the hit during inflations, managed to retain talent, taken courageous decisions to invest in its business, and made the difficult decision to terminate or drop certain businesses. The typical business model planning within the distribution industry over the last decade or so has been focused on the scalability of the business. The latter means addressing the exponential growth that the region is witnessing. Successful distributors would relate their models to the elasticity of the business, ensuring that it is agile and flexible enough to address the peaks and downturns in order to remain sustainable. What sets a foodservice distributor apart, is its ability to – “not only do the right thing but, more importantly, do the thing right" How do you maintain good relationships with your key stakeholders? The business model of a typical distributor in the region revolves around collaborating with stakeholders across the value chain: be it financial firms for working capital, ICT vendors for technology and digitisation, vehicles for logistics, landlords for warehousing, insurance for assets, banks for financial services, and so on. Stakeholders are integral to the success or failure of a foodservice distributor and, as such, they are to be treated no Hotel & Catering NEWS ME
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Cover Story
Bidfood Middle East, UAE Lot Dubai, United Arab Emirates
differently from a partner. Their growth depends on that of the distributor’s. The essence of maintaining a good relationship with key stakeholders is to ensure constant and regular rapport when it comes to business dynamics, any lowlights and highlights taking place, and the future of the business. Also, that the stakeholder is engaged with the distributor to make the right decision. From our side, we’re proud and grateful for all the stakeholders who have contributed to Bidfood Middle East’s success across the region. To recognise some, I would like to highlight the support we have on a local and regional basis from HSBC, Thermo King for our logistic capabilities, United Group in Saudi Arabai, Nader Group in Jordan and Nasco for insurance, and Oracle for our technology. What does your partnership with the UAE Food Bank signify within the region’s growing awareness of the importance of managing food waste? Are there any more green initiatives in the pipeline? This is not the first and definitely won’t be the last, this the beginning 24
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At Bidfood, we hire characters to build capabilities. of something much bigger. We want to support government initiatives across the region on CSR activities, such as waste management and sustainability. For the Bidfood Group, this is not an option but a mandate, and it’s a core value of our ethos. Through our participation in the project, we will be actively involving the team and stakeholders in the food waste management mission. We will provide positive support in organising trainings and involving every stakeholder and every department in the company, with the end-goal of installing an added dimension to our sense of responsibility towards our community – specifically pertaining to food.
We would like to invite industry players to do the same, if not more. As you look in your crystal ball for 2020 and beyond: how do you see Bidfood ME? The crystal ball is too small to fit our ambitions. We’re a passionate group and love what we do – with this being embedded into our DNA, we’re very confident in what 2020 will bring, driven by the numerous government initiatives in the UAE and across the region. We aren’t waiting for the Expo 2020 to grow our business, but rather, proving that we’re worthy of being a reliable, active supplier to our customers and all the international food pavilions. We owe it to the UAE and Dubai to proudly deliver on the expectations of all visitors. 2020 for us is a game changer, where several milestones will be achieved for Bidfood, paving the way to cross the 10-digit number in 2023. We will continue to attract talent and build leaders, we shall succeed in making the portfolio broader and stronger– specifically in the centre of the plate – and, of course, continue geographical expansion across the Middle East where the opportunity lies. www.hotelnewsme.com
#Gulfood25 www.gulfood.com
16 - 20 Feb 2020
Dubai World Trade Centre
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February 2020
Further Afield
The Land of Milk Production A dairy heritage unlike any other in the world is deeply rooted in the heart of all of France’s regions. The Land of Milk, France benefits from vast agricultural spaces and a moist, temperate climate, perfectly adapted to its production thanks to the favourable conditions it creates for growing grass and crops. Organised for and around milk, the sector makes every effort to ensure the seamless management of general and health safety, working with a uniquely fragile and perishable ingredient on a daily basis. Powered by its expertise and forwardlooking approach, the sector is notably
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buoyed by the dynamism of dairy industry players, who invest in cutting-edge technologies and research to meet the consumption needs of modern life, including nutritional requirements and usage. The range is rich and varied, with more than 1,500 dairy products, 1,200 of which are cheeses, drinking milk as well as butter, cream, powders, yoghurts and dairy desserts, available both to French consumers and the entire world. Some 99% of milk collected in the country is transformed into dairy products. More than 1/3 of the globally protected appellations of origin are produced in France and, together, form a
treasure trove of cultural heritage. This range of products, unlike any other in the world, is the fruit of shared labour, rhythm, a well-oiled machine and a territorial network serving high-quality production. The 58,000 dairy farms produce milk collected by 762 processing facilities, where tradition meets innovation, making France a well-recognised land of milk and an industry leader even beyond its borders. The entire dairy industry is committed to the ‘France, Land of Milk’ social responsibility approach, which formally sets out the collective and voluntary commitments of all French dairy
www.hotelnewsme.com
February 2020
Further Afield
stakeholders to showcase excellence in the dairy industry and continue promoting its time-tested model. Milk, a living material to be preserved Milk is a living material to be preserved. Every link of the French dairy industry chain ensures the highest sanitary quality to provide consumers with healthy, safe and delicious dairy products. Good hygiene practices, respecting the cold chain, many checkpoints and regular tests result in highquality output. Farming and milk production conditions, collection and transport, and product creation processes in factories or workshops, as well as its transfer and storage in shops and until it reaches consumers, are vital to maintain perfect product quality. Food safety monitored by businesses The processor systematically tests the quality of raw material from the moment it arrives at the factory, before unloading it from the tanker. Total traceability Traceability is ensured between the farms, at collection tankers, and then throughout the processing in the factory, and right through to the final customer. From the milk, the raw material, to the finished product, many checks take place. Quality and innovation: The DNA of the French dairy industry Thanks to human ingenuity and the diversity of its components, milk has given rise to a wide variety of dairy products. In France, three-quarters of milk collected is transformed into products for public consumption (cheeses, yoghurts, creams, etc.) A wide range of dairy products The French dairy industry’s quality and diversity are its two major advantages. It has been able to preserve its traditional processes while innovating and maintaining exemplary sanitary conditions. This expertise allows it to offer a range of 1,500 different dairy products, 1,200 of which are traditional cheeses that emerged through inspiration from the specific
characteristics of different regions and dynamics of innovation. France has a remarkable heritage of cheese, butters and cream, of which quality is recognised through 50 protected appellations of origin (AOP): 45 cheeses, three butters, two creams and 10 protected geographical indications (IGP). Sustainable food for all Affordable and easy to use, milk and dairy products represent the basis of a healthy, easy-on-the-wallet diet. As a natural source of calcium, they also contain many essential nutrients. Dairy products, part of France’s cultural identity French cheese is celebrated around the world. A flavour enhancer, butter is crucial to the creativity of chefs: it flavours, creates, infuses, colours and more...in cooking and baking, while French cream also fulfils the same roles. Its fine taste and remarkable performance for all kinds of cooking is particularly appreciated by those who know kitchens best: due to its quality with regards to volume, stability, texture, regularity and stability. French food is recognised around the world, and France’s dairy expertise is equally appreciated outside of its borders. filière-laitière.fr
France, Land of Milk is the signature that guarantees that each litre of milk and every dairy product meets the French dairy industry’s quality standards and the expertise of all of its stakeholders. This approach embodies and showcases excellence across the entire dairy industry, in France and abroad. Thierry Roquefeuil, CNIEL President Hotel & Catering NEWS ME
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February 2020
Event preview
Gulfood to Kickstart Transformative Decade for F&B by Rethinking Industry Output in 25th Anniversary Edition UAE’s strategic position at the crossroads of the international food industry to fall under renewed spotlight at Gulfood 2020 as MENA region tipped for “above average” F&B growth through to 2023, according to new Gulfood Global Industry Outlook Report Gulfood, the world’s largest annual food and beverage trade exhibition, and first major event of a transformative new decade for the industry, will mark its silver anniversary this year uniting food businesses from six continents to rethink their output in an age of major innovation and evolution across the global F&B sector. Ahead of Gulfood 2020, which runs
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at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from February 16-20, the UAE’s strategic position and status as a global trade hub has been underlined by the latest Gulfood Global Industry Outlook, produced by the show’s knowledge partner Euromonitor International, which forecasts the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region will experience ‘above’ world average compound annual growth across most F&B categories through to 2023. The report, which is available to registered Gulfood 2020 attendees, reveals that during the next decade world-class trade and commerce infrastructure in the Emirates can facilitate Asia Pacific’s
emergence as the world’s biggest F&B consumer by 2030. The MENA region is also showing huge growth potential – both as a standalone market and as a trading corridor for business expansion inroads in Africa and Asia. “MENA has emerged, with greater distribution of wealth and rapidly developing infrastructure, consumers have greater access to a wider range of foods and beverages,” states the report. MENA region to exceed global average growth With the MENA forecast to outstrip average global growth in seven out of
www.hotelnewsme.com
February 2020
Event preview
eight sectors, poultry and seafood offer the biggest potential as both are predicted to grow annually by 5.2 per cent according to the report. Beverages are forecast to record 3.6 per cent annual growth, dairy 2.9 per cent, pulses, grains and cereals 3.8 per cent, ingredients by 3.2 per cent and confectionery and snacks by 3.3 per cent. Only fats and oils fall short of the world average, but even this sector is forecast to record regional annual growth of 3.4 per cent. “While the growth potential is there, the regional industry faces significant opportunities and challenges which now beset the global sector – it is why we believe a major rethink is required as we embark on a new decade of innovation and transformation,” says Trixie LohMirmand, senior vice president, Exhibitions & Events, DWTC. “As Gulfood 2020 brings this new era into focus, we anticipate the 25th edition will be a hotbed of innovation reflecting wider trends within an industry where demographic shifts such as urbanisation, migration, and the rise of the middle class are reshaping consumer lifestyles and purchasing decisions.” With the global food industry in the midst of transformation across the entire production chain, innovation will hallmark exhibitor promotions at Gulfood 2020. To ease business facilitation, the show is divided into eight categories: Beverages; Dairy; Fats & Oils; Wellness & Free From; Meat & Poultry; Power Brands; Pulses, Grains and Cereals, and World Food, which will feature 120 national pavilions with niche and specialty products in 2020. “Transformation is being felt across all Gulfood product sectors and industry players must rethink their approach to a segment in which natural ingredients, sugar reduction and free-from labels remain the F&B industry’s main priorities,” explains LohMirmand. Leveraging the trend for natural, healthy ingredients, New Zealand-based dairy ingredient solutions provider, NZMP - the global dairy ingredients and solutions business of Fonterra, believes Gulfood 2020 will provide crucial insight and shape the industry agenda for the early part of the 2020s.
“As we head into a new decade, it’s essential that food and beverage companies gain insights into a fastevolving market. As one of the biggest global food and beverage events globally, Gulfood allows us to connect with our customers and offers an important platform to showcase our innovative dairy ingredient solutions, while exploring opportunities across the Middle East and Africa.” says Simon Penfold, sales director at NZMP and Anchor Food Professionals. Gulfood Innovation Summit to champion food sector rethink Creativity is also expected to shine at the two-day Gulfood Innovation Summit, which will run under the ‘Rethinking Food’ theme and has attracted some of the industry’s most inspiring change-makers. “The Summit will bring together influential chefs, food scientists, government officials and industry leaders at the forefront of innovation to discuss and shape the future of food and gastronomy. The twoday agenda will delve into topics revolving around the role of government in shaping the future of food, adapting to healthier, sustainable lifestyles, F&B marketing, tourism and retail, future food technologies and new halal markets,” says LohMirmand. The Summit will also feature a country focus probing the evolving Saudi Arabian culinary scene, which is poised for further
growth following December’s landmark decision to end gender segregation in F&B outlets across the Kingdom. A silver lining for local production As Gulfood enters its 25th anniversary year, LohMirmand stressed the show can now trace its historic contribution in the ongoing evolution of a regional F&B scene, which has undergone seismic shifts in market approach. “We now see higher rates of local production and exporting in a region which, for many years, was totally import reliant. Consumers are prioritising their health and that of the planet. Look out for more transparent labelling, increasing concentration on health and wellbeing, ethical ingredient sourcing, more environmentally friendly packaging,” adds LohMirmand. Ideal global gathering for industry professionals With the MENA region now developing as an export player and an increasingly demanding importer, Gulfood 2020 is expected to attract huge global attendance for the main show and its associated event programme. This includes the Halal World Food global trading platform, which generates lucrative investment for businesses looking to capitalise on the burgeoning halal food sector. Hotel & Catering NEWS ME
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February 2020
Event preview
Food and Friendship Advertorial
A pairing of Singapore and Middle East food purveyors
Singapore and the Middle East have plenty in common when it comes to food. While Singapore’s cuisine is a convergence of cultural flavours, the Middle East is a hub of Asian and Western cuisine. The amalgamation of different ingredients has made Singaporean food manufacturers, and food and beverage companies, adept at bringing out the best in fusion foods. Hybrids of Singapore’s culinary favourites are increasingly being plated in the Middle East, just as Singapore welcomes the delectable cuisine of the region to its shores. The pairing of Singapore and the Middle East goes deeper than food history, with a long relationship in food enterprises. Besides following rigorous health and safety standards, Singapore’s food products – whether used as a side dish, ingredient, condiment, or packed in ready-to-go meals – never fail to invoke the quintessential flavours of traditional cuisine. Tastes that are sweet and sour, textures that are crispy and soft, aromas subtle – yet deep – retained with food technologies and developed through partnerships in the region, have all boosted consumer confidence in food products manufactured in Singapore. This year, 46 Singaporean food and beverage companies will visit Dubai for Gulfood 2020. Let us toast to your health and share tales of how we adapt to changing palates and lifestyles without compromising on quality and taste. Food and friendship is the best pairing, after all. Chefs, home-style or Michelin star, know only too well. 30
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Visit the Singapore pavilion Main pavilion: Sheikh Rashid Hall, Booth R-P8 Beverage pavilion: New Za'abeel Hall 4, Booth Z4-E19 https://bit.ly/2NOiLGC Interested in partnering with Singaporean food companies? Connect with Enterprise Singapore, the country's enterprise and trade development agency, at mary_intacto@enterprisesg.gov.sg or on +971 4 3020105.
www.hotelnewsme.com
February 2020
Event preview
Stands to Look Out For
Monviso Trading Stefano Iorini, Managing Director
What’s your company promoting at Gulfood this year? Monviso Trading will be taking this opportunity to showcase an array of high quality products, dedicated to the HORECA and HOSPITALITY industries, which include: MonViso Italian Mineral Water, Demetra olives, Cavanna Olive Oil, Hey Hah Fruit Chips, Coffee Cream Italia, Curtiriso Rice, Monviso Bruschetta, Gravina Tomatoes, Paoletti soft drinks, Topshape Vitamin Water, Paluani Pastry, Granluce Pasta, and MyQandC Fruits & Vegetables. Distributed brands respect rigorous production processes and enhance the flavours of prepared dishes. Tell us more about any exciting upcoming product launches. The most recent brand acquisition in our distribution line for the UAE is Curtiriso Rice, a well-established brand in Italy that caters only to the HORECA and hospitality markets. The focus of Curtiriso is to continuously increase quality at every
At the Show Stand number: ZP-6 monvisotrading.com level of the product and in all phases of the production chain. The final product is a result of the careful selection of paddy rice, control of the production process, and cutting-edge industrial technologies. What’s in the pipeline for your company? Monviso Trading is committed to leading a responsible business, especially through our flagship brand – MonViso Italian Mineral Water. At first, it was our CR programme in partnership with Al Jalila Foundation, “Take Water. Give Life”, raising AED 614,437 to date, contributing to advancing medical research, education and treatment. We then realised that we can do more, and started to collect emptied plastic bottles from our customers’ doorsteps, preventing an increase in the amounts of
plastic reaching landfills. Partnering with a local company, we transformed the plastic into eco-friendly t-shirts and caps. In 2020, we will build on the foundation of our company’s 360-degree sustainability strategy set last year, “Deeply Rooted Value”, underpinned by Sustainable Development Goals. We aim to embed sustainability across all our functions and fully embrace the SDGs, and we’re committed to maximising our positive impact by steering our business strategy in the right direction. What are some of the biggest trends and innovations in your market? One of the biggest trends currently is focusing on healthy snacks and food, and consequently leading a healthy lifestyle. For new brands nowadays, it seems to be essential to have a low sugar intake, low sodium and to avoid the use of GMOs and oils the production process as much as possible. Reputable brands focus on developing new products to be in line with international trends. Hotel & Catering NEWS ME
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Stands to Look Out For
Monin
Zeynep Ozneseli, Trade Marketing Manager MEIA
What are you looking to promote at Gulfood this year? It’s going to be our 13th year at Gulfood and we’re glad to be a part of this successful platform. This year, we’re promoting our new range and latest flavours at Gulfood. In the end of 2019, Monin introduced a new range, “Le Mixeur de Monin’’, where we have readymade mixes for a variety of beverages. We’ll also showcase our latest flavours, which we call ‘’Oriental Flavours’’, such as Date Fruit Mix, Saffron Syrup and the Fig Fruit Mix. What are some upcoming product launches we can expect from Monin? Being a premium creative and authentic flavour solutions provider for beverage and culinary partners worldwide is our vision. We always build on consumer trends and foodservice operators’ demands. As a result, we’re so excited to launch our new, delicious product La Sauce de Monin Pistachio. Gulfood is going to be the first platform for this product, and we’re looking forward to meet our visitors. What’s in the pipeline for your company? Our new brand Paragon: a range of single botanical cordials for bartenders created by Monin in collaboration with Alex Kratena. Paragon seeks to project and promote rare botanical varieties from remote areas around the world, highlighting unknown aromatic essences and making them available for those who appreciate exceptional flavours for beverage use. Created as a series of ‘’botanical chapters’’ which will become an encyclopaedic collection of ingredients for bartenders, the first chapter focuses on pepper and pepper berries; we’ll be seeing it in our market very soon. 32
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At the Show Stand number: Z5-F38 monin.com
Tell us about some of the biggest trends and innovations in your market. At Monin, we’re happy to be trendsetters. Now, I can say that the new trend is oriental flavours, the most popular being the king of spices saffron, which is known
as the most expensive spice in the world. Our new Le Sirop de MONIN Saffron has an unmistakable floral, herbal, and exotic scent and the taste is perfect for beverages including mocktails, teas, coffees, milkshakes and culinary applications. www.hotelnewsme.com
February 2020
Event preview
Stands to Look Out For
Aramtec
Wissam Ataya, Sales & Marketing Manager - Pastry Division, Arabian American Technologies Co Dobla, Cemoi, Sunnysryup, Masdeu, OneWay, Rich’s, Barkers, Lesepidado and Mountbry, and later on some specialty ranges from Leman of Belgium. The new products will, not only be innovative, but completely above market standards.
On Gulfood 2020: Aramtec will be promoting bakery and pastry products at Gulfood this year. We’ll be promoting the finest bakery ingredients from Martin Braun, Germany together with specialty ingredients for ice creams and gelatos made by Cresco, Italy, as well as Swiss traditional bakery products from Hiestand, and high-end quality chocolates from the Veliche brand in Belgium. Upcoming product launches: We’re very excited to announce that we’ll be launching innovative products in the coming months courtesy of Hug, Bakels,
At the Show Stand number: Halls 8C8-29
In the pipeline: We’re in our final stages of unveiling many unique products including highend Semi-Dried Fruits, Frozen Fruit and Fruit Purees. In addition to that, we’re constantly increasing our product ranges and investing in more products from our existing partners and brands.
Stands to Look Out For
Dofreeze
Aamer Fayyaz, Managing Director/CEO
On the Delice product range at Gulfood 2020: A sumptuous taste of France! The rich, out-of-this-world flavour and texture of these Le Gateau is nothing short of industry-changing, and we’re proud to offer a premium brand right alongside the Eurocake and the Snack Time product range. As the newest member of the Dofreeze family of premium brands, Delice is the culmination of years perfecting such scrumptious indulgences as Chocolate Chip Brownies, Salted Caramel Brownie Squares, Petit Loaf Cake and Cake Rolls in an almost endless variety of flavours. From the taste and quality of the products to the demanding selection of ingredients, authentic recipes, and packaging that
combines modernity and practicality, Delice is one level above all other brands targeting upmarket consumers who are looking to enjoy premium treats in an environment of elegance and finesse.
At the Show Stand number: (A5-29) in Hall 5
In the pipeline: There are a lot of new innovations, one of which is that we also partnered with General Mills, where we are producing the ready-to-eat range of products for them. Betty Crocker Pound Cakes was launched a few months ago and, this month, the Betty Crocker Soft and Chewy Cookies are set to launch. Hotel & Catering NEWS ME
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Stands to Look Out For
Gulf Processing Industries Neha Nagar Chaudhary, Marketing & Communications
On Gulfood 2020: Gulfood 2020 is special as it turns 25 this year! Like every year, we at Gulf Processing Industries would be showcasing the entire range of culinary products to promote our Brand Herman. The exceptional range is crafted to delight individuals, families and the HORECA industry alike. And they’re all delicious, we can assure you. Upcoming product launches: This year, we’re promoting our ethnic sauces (Thai chilli, date, hot mango, Habanero, green Wasabi, Acharri mango, classic steak sauce and more). Also, nut spreads (pistachio, cashew, almond, and peanut butters, and a hazelnut spread).
At the Show Stand number: A6-30/Hall 6
Stands to Look Out For
Freakin’ Healthy Alma Miri, Group Marketing Manager
On Gulfood 2020: We will be promoting our range of healthy, functional and delicious snacks – all vegan, gluten-free, non GMO, no added sugar, no preservatives, 100% no junk.
At the Show Stand number: Hall ZAB6 – stand Z6 – 31
Upcoming product launches: We’re launching three new snack categories in the market, with unique flavours and recipes: protein balls (all natural and clean ingredients, no junk), vegan snack bars and Kids’ Fruity Stars. Market Trends: With consumer interest in health, the ethical treatment of animals and pricing, we’re seeing an emerging trend in cleaner and ‘better for you’ F&B products. This covers a wide spectrum of F&B categories, from functional juices to snacks bars. We’re also seeing growth in alternative foods, including alternatives to conventional animal proteins (vegan beef, chicken, etc.), alternatives to milk and dairy-free products are on the rise as well (almond, oat, coconut, etc.) 34
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www.hotelnewsme.com
February 2020
Event preview
Stands to Look Out For
India Gate Priyanka Mittal, Director, KRBL Ltd.
On Gulfood 2020: In line with the government’s aim to ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all ages, our main focus for Gulfood 2020 remains the healthy food portfolio which includes quinoa, chia seeds, flax seeds and sprouted brown rice. Of these, our focus product will be the Sprouted Brown Rice considering the number of health benefits it is laden with. It’s the healthiest of all rice varieties available on the shelf. Rice is a mainstream to UAE cuisine and KRBL is the only company offering this sprouted brown rice option. Alongside this healthy food range, Nurjahan Basmati Rice is another product we will be promoting extensively. On market trends and innovation: The conscious shift to healthy eating is one of the biggest trends in the F&B manufacturing industry. These days, people are becoming
more conscious about their lifestyle and food sure has a crucial role to play. Veganism, vegetarianism and gluten
free diets are not just dietary choices, but a way of life today. While staples such as rice will continue to be in high demand, we can’t ignore the emerging importance of healthy food and ingredients. Producers and manufacturers are now trying to build their brand while keeping this shift in mind. Innovation in our market is a given, considering the future scenario of the global food system owing to the vulnerability of agriculture due to the impacts of global warming. Improved Research and Development cells which help bring together the wealth of traditional knowledge and modern technology to improve pre and postharvesting techniques and Contact Farming which educates and updates farmers about optimum sowing and transplanting techniques are innovations that are taking the forefront in our industry.
Stands to Look Out For
Casino Global Partnerships Priyanka Mittal, Director, KRBL Ltd.
On the Company: Casino Global Partnerships, the strategic division in charge of Casino Group international development, has been a key player in the French retail landscape since 1898, with more than 12,000 stores in France, Latin America and the Indian Ocean undertaking a yearly turnover worth 38 billion euros. The major line of Casino Group’s international business development, Casino Global Partnerships establishes several strategic partnerships with strong local players.
Those partnerships are of different nature, from Affiliation & Franchise Contracts, to Products Supply and Services Agreements.
At the Show Stand number: S1-M45
At Gulfood 2020: With more than 14,000 products, Casino Group is the first retailer offering the largest private label range, in addition to more than 20 different brands from Grocery to Beauty. Each year, the Casino group launches more than 1,000 new products through all the different private labels. Hotel & Catering NEWS ME
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February 2020
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Stands to Look Out For
Binghatti Beverages Manufacturing LLC Muhammad Binghatti, CEO
On Gulfood 2020: Binghatti Beverages will be showcasing its range of products which includes its signature brand, Raubi of London Juices, which come in a variety of fruit flavours. The company will also be showcasing Raubi Milk; Binghatti Beverages launched the UHT Milk range as they saw an appetite for this product within the market. Raubi Milk features three varieties, Full Fat, Low Fat and Semi-Skimmed. Binghatti Beverages has launched Fruitastic Nectar Juices, which come in a variety of delicious fruit flavours. Frutto Juices caters to the lower-end juice market. After the successful launch of the Raubi Juice range, Binghatti Beverages launched BeastMode. The product will be available across UAE, at numerous locations, as well as on Noon and Talabat, through its selected Cupagahwa locations.
At the Show Stand number: Z5 D58
Upcoming product launches: Binghatti Beverages has tapped into the energy drinks sector with a vision to ignite, fitness enthusiasts, and adrenaline seeking individuals with
a power burst of energy. The product will be available across the UAE, at numerous locations, as well as on Noon and Talabat, through its selected Cupagahwa locations.
Stands to Look Out For
Ingredia
José Pinedo, Product Manager, Ingredia
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Stand number: E1 – 40 / hall 1 make this possible, consumers will be able to scan a QR code directly printed on the bottle with all the traceability and audit information: true world first!
On Gulfood 2020: Our company will promote its premium UHT milk range thanks to the French know-how of the company and the unique specifications of our “milk from grass-fed cows” collection, offering the best of UHT milk for consumers and professionals. Upcoming product launches: New upcoming products under our Prospérité UHT milk brand are organic milk bottles and the first worldwide digitally certified UHT milk by Blockchain. Our
At the Show
Prospérité UHT milk will now be traced and audited in real-time, offering consumers complete transparency on how the milk from their bottles have been produced. To
In the pipeline: In addition to making premium UHT milk for consumers and professionals, our company is the European leader in dairy ingredients, and the third biggest player in the world of milk proteins. Thus, our ingredients are distributed through the world's leading agri-food companies. www.hotelnewsme.com
Gulfood 2020 focused on “Rethinking Food” France’s opportunity to launch Taste France
16 - 20 February 2020 - Dubai World Trade Centre
French Pavilions World Food : Sheikh Saeed 1 Booth BF SA - M25 Dairy : Hall 1 – Booth BF F1 - 39
Beverage : Hall New Za’abeel 6 Booth BF Z6 - A24 Meat & Poultry : Hall 3
Come to discover French flavours!
WWW.BUSINESSFRANCE.FR
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH:
@BF_Food @BF_MiddleEast
Carolina DUBOIS
Head of Fine Food French Pavilions Division carolina.dubois@businessfrance.fr
Miryem OUKAS MESSIDI
Head of Communications miryem.oukasmessidi@businessfrance.fr
Melanie DIA
Regional Head of AgriFood melanie.dia@businessfrance.fr
February 2020
Event preview
Stands to Look Out For
Saint Lucie Jennifer Vaux, Marketing Department
On Gulfood 2020: Founded in 1885, Sainte Lucie was the first company in the 1950s to develop a range of pastry aids around vanilla. Thanks to its French know-how and knowledge of raw materials, Sainte Lucie proposes a large and innovative offer around pastry aids and spices. By exhibiting at the show, we want to showcase our French know-how. The homemade cook is a new way of consumption. We select the best ingredients to offer originality and flavours in cooking. Upcoming product launches: We’ve just launched a new range of chocolate pallets: dark, milk and ruby
At the Show Stand number: S1K26
chocolate: easy to melt to make pastries. The great originality of this range is also the launch of ruby chocolate pallets. Ruby chocolate is naturally pink in colour, with a taste that’s quite similar to white chocolate.
In the pipeline: We want to develop our organic spices and pastry range. We’re also looking for local French producers to offer Ingredients from France.
Stands to Look Out For
Vitagermine
Matthieu Coste, Export Sales Manager Asia, Middle East, Africa
At the Show Stand number: S1-L7
On Gulfood 2020: Vitagermine is promoting its two organic brands: Babybio, our organic brand dedicated to babies aged zero to three years oldand Vitabio, our organic brand for kids and adults. Both brands are producing 100% organic, made in France food. From infant formula, to biscuits, fruit and vegetables recipes, we’re the first organic infant food in France. Upcoming product launches: This year, Babybio will export new chestnuts and lemon biscuits. We also have a new organic infant formula range with DHA, ARA, FOS and
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GOS, depending on the range you will choose for your baby. For Vitabio, there’s two new delicious smoothie bowls (mango, passion fruit, oat based drink and another one with banana, pear, acai and an oat-based drink). In the pipeline: Babybio and Vitabio are increasing their presence outside France and Europe. After being in the Far East for two decades (Japan, HK, Singapour, Korea, Taiwan…), we’re focusing on the Middle East with the UAE and KSA. We’ve seen an increase in demand for organic, healthy and high quality food in these two markets. www.hotelnewsme.com
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February 2020
GM Interview
Hands-On Hospitality
Vida Hotels and Resorts General Manager Daniel Kingston has worked in the hospitality industry for over 20 years, and was heavily involved in the opening of the first Vida Hotel outside of the UAE, followed by the grand opening of Vida Downtown. Here, he talks brand connection, stepping it up and more You started off by working at a familyrun hotel; what were some of the most important skills you’ve learned there? The passion of delivering a great guest experience, when you see the owner in the lobby, meeting guests, carrying luggage, proud of his property, you step up and embrace this philosophy and don’t want to let him down. It's more than seeing a poster on the wall telling you to create memorable guest experiences, which a lot of companies do, it’s actually watching first hand it been done. I've tried to bring this passion and hands-on approach, into everything that I've done since. The other would be having a sense of personality in everything that you do. It was more than following the SOPs (which obviously in a hotel over 100 years old is a little easier, as things tend to just work), it was about welcoming guests as part of the family and having the ability to connect on a personal level. You’ve launched flagship properties in the Middle East and abroad; what are some of the key differences between global markets? I've been really lucky to work in some really interesting locations and amazing properties; however, Dubai is the pinnacle of this, it’s such a global city and is a melting pot of so many cultures, you're exposed to so many nationalities here. Obviously, the biggest difference between global markets are the cultural sensitivities: the way we operated the W in Sydney was different to how we approached the W in Doha. We certainly wanted the same energy and did an amazing 40
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GM Interview
One of the biggest learnings for me moving to the Middle East was how important relationships were, guests don’t call the reservations department – they call you directly – it’s so important to be present for them. Hotel & Catering NEWS ME
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GM Interview
job creating this, but we had to be more sensitive to other aspects of the Brand. From a guest perspective, the world is so much smaller, so you tend to deal with different nationalities the same way across the globe. The difference is how you do business in those locals. One of the biggest learnings for me moving to the Middle East was how important relationships were, guests don’t call the reservations department – they call you directly – it’s so important to be present for them. From a staffing perspective, we work very hard to empower our teams to be confident decision-makers for the guests: this was a little easier to action in cultures where this comes naturally, whereas I found when opening a hotel in India, where the approach and desire to serve is fantastic, it took a lot more training to get the team comfortable with this level of responsibility. Lastly, the fact that here in the Middle East you're responsible for more than just the team's work environment, you have to manage their home life as well, if they're not comfortable in their accommodation, the food we serve them…they won't deliver on the desired guest experience. What would you say differentiates Vida Hotels from other chains? I love this Brand; I still remember the feeling I got when I first interviewed with the Vida Downtown. Here was a space that was really stylish, beautifully designed and just created such a nice energy, you felt Inspired the moment you stepped in, which is actually one of the core values of the Brand. We've tried to create spaces that appeal to those with an entrepreneurial spirit and I really do believe, what you read on the tin, is what has been created at all our Vida properties, Inspirational, Sophisticated, Social spaces. This is further backed up by some of the partnerships we've had: we look for partners who inspire us, for example Let’s Work, a home-grown co-sharing office space app, and Mr Draper, the online shopping platform for men. 42
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From a service standpoint, we're a genuinely accessible Brand with a very simple service approach, we don’t try and force our way of doing things onto our guests, and they are free to create their own experience. Lastly, I think the fact we're a genuine home-grown Brand with a global feel also helps differentiate us. Do you think that luxury hotels will now struggle in the wake of more affordable options in Dubai? Well, the obvious concern is the
compression on the rates, so you need to be smarter in how you operate as the margins get leaner, which isn't necessarily a negative thing, it presents new opportunities. How can we work smarter? The introduction of smarter technology. What it does mean is that as operators, we need to look at those value adds for our guests. We know the majority of our guests are now looking for more authentic experiences, so we need to understand how we can deliver this, who we can partner with to help drive some of these experiences. These partnerships also extend to third www.hotelnewsme.com
February 2020
GM Interview
the Rugby Sevens, were present in a lot of the events around the city. However, the craziest was New Year’s Eve on the Boulevard, it was absolute madness with the volume of people ordering food. Most recently, opening Vida Emirates Hills, we worked on a fantastic concept called Origins. Origins is our all-day, every-day, every-person eatery and is all around the story behind the sourcing of the food. The concept serves all who wish to eat cleaner, better and more mindfully and celebrates provenance, without being married to any particular cuisine or style. Origins has been a comfortable space where we explore authentic raw materials, a concept quite rare and well-appreciated in this region, so it has been a joyful journey bringing the concept to life.
party providers, how we can work better with them to drive business into our properties. It also means leveraging even further on guest loyalty, its more than just earning and burning points, it’s about creating experiences for our members. That said, there's a market that still looks for luxury and the addition of more affordable options opens up Dubai to new markets and business opportunities and helps the growth of the city. What are some of the most important F&B rebrands you’ve had, and how have
they helped attract more diners to your properties? One of the most fun, was not so much a re-brand, but was the addition of a Food Truck to Vida Downtown. We were one of the first to introduce a food truck to Dubai and it was great, our chef loved it as we were able to be a little more creative with the food offerings. We certainly saw less of our chef as he was out running around the city, but it was so convenient, you could arrive, fire up the burners and away you go. We did the catering for a Jackie Chan movie,
Please tell us more about your sustainability initiatives, and how the response has been so far. What I'm very excited about with Sustainability is the focus from DTCM on the issue: they have recently launched a list of key focus areas that all the hotels in Dubai will be audited on, which is starting this year. These include areas such as our carbon footprint, water and energy reductions, waste management, etc. which is great as it ensures we’re all focussed on such an important topic. Along with the plans from DTCM, we’ve also eliminated single-use amenities from the rooms at Vida Emirates Hills, we use filtered tap water in our restaurants and meeting rooms, which all our guests love, it’s one of the first things they often mention is the lack of plastic bottles on the tables: however, there’s so much more that we would like to do. Emaar Hospitality was the first to work with WINNOW, which supports reducing food wastage, and this has been very successful in the properties that have introduced this. Within our all-day eatery, Origins, we’ve worked with some local farms to source our ingredients, our oysters come from Dibba, and we work with Green Heart Organic for some of our fruit and vegetables, which taste amazing by the way. Hotel & Catering NEWS ME
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chain of the month
InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) MENA IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) is a significant operator in the Middle East with a long-standing history and legacy across the region. IHG has 91 hotels (31,726 rooms) operating in nine countries in the Middle East region (GCC, Levant, and Egypt), across nine of its core brands in the Middle East, including InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, voco and Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas. The operator has 48 hotels (16,576 rooms) in its current pipeline in the Middle East (GCC, Levant, and Egypt) set to open in the next three to five years. United Arab Emirates In the UAE, IHG has 22 hotels (6,625 rooms) open, with 16 hotels (4,304 rooms) in its current pipeline set to open in the next three-five years, including brands that are new to the market. The first voco in Dubai opened last year and the first Hotel Indigo will open in 2020. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia In KSA, IHG currently has a total of 33 hotels (15,388 rooms), with 20 hotels (10,028 rooms) set to open in the next three-five years, including the world’s largest voco hotel in Makkah, comprising of over 4,200 rooms which will be fully operational early this year. North Africa In North Africa (Egypt and Algeria), IHG currently has six hotels operating across three brands including InterContinental Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn and Staybridge Suites. IHG also has six hotels in its pipeline in North Africa (Egypt and Morocco), which are due to open in the next three-five years.
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New Hotels As part of the growth strategy, IHG is opening several hotels across the region. This year, IHG will debut its boutique brand, Hotel Indigo with the opening of Hotel Indigo Downtown Dubai, and has recently expanded the footprint of its upscale brand, Crowne Plaza with the opening of Crowne Plaza Dubai Marina. This year will also see voco Makkah, the world’s largest voco hotel with 4,200 rooms, be fully operational for Hajj season. IHG will also be opening an InterContinental Resort in Ras Al Khaimah in the next couple of years and it will mark the first IHG hotel in the emirate.
Loyalty and Talent Programmes Loyalty - IHG® Rewards Club With more than 100 million enrolled members globally, IHG® Rewards Club is the first and largest guest loyalty programme in the hotel industry. Named Best Hotel Rewards Program in the World for the 14th consecutive year as voted by the readers of Global Traveler magazine, IHG® Rewards Club offers soughtafter benefits and is easy to use. Members qualify for Your Rate by IHG® Rewards Club, an exclusive rate offered when they book direct. In addition to flexible features like No Blackout Dates for Reward Nights, Points & Cash and free Internet with IHG® Connect, IHG® Rewards Club members have hundreds of options for redeeming points including: Reward Nights, Flights Anywhere™, Cars Anywhere, digital downloads, brand name items and retail gift cards. Enrolment in IHG® Rewards Club is free. Talent IHG has a number of talent development programmes such as Early Careers, which is an accelerated plan to grow operational talent into managerial roles. The operator’s Future Leader programme prepares hospitality professionals for the next-step management position in just 12-18 months. Candidates are given access to world-class training, supported by outstanding coaches and leaders. IHG also offers a supervisory fast-track development programme called the True Leaders Programme. As part of IHG’s 2019 successes, the group was named one of the best places to work in KSA by Great Place to Work, establishing itself as an employer of choice in the Kingdom.
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chain of the month
Pascal Gauvin Managing Director, IMEA, IHG What are the main challenges you face in hotel management and operations? Attracting and retaining the next generation of talent is a challenge for the industry at large. In order to appeal to the right talent, overall, the hospitality sector needs to be positioned suitably among the workforce and primarily, young talent. At IHG, we truly believe that our role as leaders in hospitality is to develop the young workforce and give them access to the careers and success they want to accomplish. We believe this can be done by promoting various career streams and functions within our industry to talent from an early age and by integrating them into our teams to learn and explore their interests within the industry. We’re building local capability to support our current and future growth through IHG Academy, which is a pioneering global collaboration between IHG, and local education and community providers. In the Middle East, we’re committed to bringing graduates from this programme into our hotels in the region. It’s all part of our commitment to create jobs and stimulate economic development in the communities where we live and work. Additionally, the delicate geopolitical climate in some local markets presents some challenges. However, we have a long history in these markets and have both the experience and expertise to operate in the market context. We’re focused on providing great
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chain of the month
stay experiences to our guests and delivering a strong bottom line for our owners and partners. Our confidence in the region remains strong and we will continue to build on our strengths and expand our brand portfolio with the right partners.
What do you think are the most important criteria for a smooth flow of F&B operations? As one of the leading hospitality players in the world, we’re committed to providing our guests with a seamless experience throughout their stay and our highly-trained operations team is a major contributor to this success. Specifically, our attention to detail and commitment to excellence are reflected through all of our distinct brands and are also evident through our F&B offerings. For seamless F&B operations, we believe hiring and regularly training the right talent is crucial. Use of technology for consistency is equally important. We also put emphasis on regular quality checks and improvements based on guest feedback. Today, guests are constantly looking for unique F&B experiences, therefore, awareness of the latest F&B trends and concepts is a must to ensure we stay competent and thriving in an increasingly competitive market. How do you see the future of the chain in the Middle East? With a number of significant socioeconomic changes across key markets in the Middle East, the region is transforming and the economy is diversifying. This presents great opportunities for the hospitality sector and we’re committed to accelerating growth and expanding our presence in the region. We’re committed to growing the footprint of our well-
established brands in the region and introducing new brands from our global portfolio. Further, there are three key factors, which I believe will support our growth and shape our future in the region: Talent development People are at the heart of our business, and given that we’re now growing at a faster speed and opening more hotels, consistently, we need a robust talent pipeline. Therefore, we want to continue investing in training and development programmes that enable us to drive our talent pipeline and deliver against our growth. I envision IHG as being the frontrunner in the delivery of personalised guest experiences across the region and this is only possible if we have the very best talent in place who are motivated and passionate about the business and our brands. Use of technology The consumer landscape continues to evolve, and guests today expect technology to inform and enrich their stays. The key is to find the right balance of simplicity, convenience and delight, and seamlessly carry this formula across the complete guest journey from booking, travel and arrival through to the hotel’s guestroom and experience of the public space. IHG recently rolled out the industry’s most sophisticated cloudbased platform, IHG Concerto, across all markets. Eventually, the reservation system will play a big part in IHG’s direct sales strategy with the technology, enabling hotels to offer different rates and products and services via different channels. It will enable guests to build the kind of stay they want, and for us to offer stay options and amenities according to past booking preferences of the
guests. In addition, guests will be able to book directly specific rooms and select preferences, for example booking top floor, corner room, extra-large room, late checkout, lounge access, among other amenities. Sustainability As one of the world’s biggest hotel companies, we recognise the opportunity we have to make a positive difference to the environment and our local communities. Our responsible business commitments reflect our purpose to provide True Hospitality for everyone, and our ethos is weaved in all aspects of our operations. As a step towards reducing our waste footprint and environmental impact, we recently announced our commitment to switch to bulk-size bathroom amenities across our entire global estate, with the transition to be completed during 2021. We have also made a commitment to remove plastic straws from our global estate. Also, several IHG hotels have partnered with technology company Winnow to automatically track, measure and reduce food waste for more sustainable and efficient restaurant and bar operations. Additionally, our online sustainability platform, the IHG Green Engage™ system, provides our hotels with more than 200 solutions to help them manage and measure their use of energy, carbon, water and waste, minimising their environmental impact and utility costs. It has been our endeavour to work towards a sustainable future and we will continue to explore ways to make a positive difference to the environment and to the local communities we operate in.
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Marketplace
Marketplace Chocolate
For all the latest News, Visit www.hotelnewsme.com Follow us on Facebook for up-to-the-minute breaking news Read the latest edition on www.hotelnewsme.com
Sweeter Than Candy
Fabien Fayolle, Executive Pastry Chef at Armani Hotel Dubai Tell us about some of your most creative chocolate-based dishes. In celebration of one of the biggest events in the Dubai, I have designed a Golden Chocolate Dome, which is inspired by one of the main pavilions of the upcoming Expo 2020 site (Al Wasl Dome). The dessert combines the complexity of the chocolate, with local product such as tahini (sesame paste) and Majdool date (the king of dates). The chocolate used has 70% cocoa. Otherwise, I like to use chocolate in very basic recipes such as molten cake (moelleux chocolate) which is a part-baked chocolate cake, part rich chocolate mousse. How important is the quality of chocolate in crafting a good dessert? Like all ingredients as part of a recipe, quality takes on a major role. I’ve been using premium chocolate since I first started cooking professionally more than 20 years ago. Chocolate is very similar to grape beverages, particularly in acidity, aromas, texture and sweetness. Each chocolate has its own authenticity. Chocolate is the result of a long process from the cocoa bean selection to the transformation, and it’s a fragile product which requires good techniques to bring it from melting point to the crystallisation . What types of chocolate do you use and what’s the newest ingredient that you combine with it? I use all type of chocolates, but dark chocolate is the most noble as it has the highest content of cocoa product (cocoa masse and cocoa butter) and I also like the Dulcey chocolate, which is a white chocolate which has been heated until the sugar got 48
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caramelised, it goes very well with acidic fruits such as passion fruit or apricots. Lately, the trend is to have flavoured
chocolate, with the addition of fruit puree during the fermentation cycle of the cocoa bean. www.hotelnewsme.com
February 2020
Marketplace
Other products in the market
Here, we take a brief look at some other chocolate products that are available in the market
Melly’s
Melly’s is inspired by the people who love life and can’t get enough of everything it has to offer. It is created around friendship, laughter and everything good that happens while sharing a bite of sweet.
The Midas Box by Bateel
The Midas Box is filled with a selection of Bateel’s signature single-origin chocolates and organic chocolate-covered dates
Mirzam Chocolate
Made with fine quality cacao beans and only natural ingredients, Mirzam chocolates are locally made from bean-to-bar and beyond in Dubai.
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Products
Products of the Month
Panasonic Video Surveillance i-PRO Extreme H.265 Multi-Sensor Cameras: WV-X8570N and WV-S8530N Able to capture evidence under the most challenging of conditions, these cameras are built with four repositionable lenses, and offer a wide-range tilt angle adjustment mechanism that allows for both a 270-degree view and a 360-degree view, thus minimising blind spots and ensuring greater viewing flexibility.
Sugarpova at Candylicious
Panasonic Facial Recognition System: FacePro WV-ASF950 The Panasonic FacePro WV-ASF950, using a Deep Learning algorithm, can identify faces that are difficult to recognise with conventional technologies, including faces at an angle of up to 45 degrees to the left or right or 30 degrees up or down, and those partially hidden by sunglasses. panasonic.com/middleeast
Candylicious, an Emirati-grown concept, hosts the Middle East's largest candy store, and one of the largest in the world. The Dubai Mall store, located opposite the Dubai Aquarium, consists of over 11,500 square feet and hosts more than 5,500 types of candy. With the brand's expansion into the Dubai International, Terminal 3, the Candylicious brand now serves four stores in the UAE. All Sugarpova confections are made with allnatural ingredients, including fruit, vegetable and other plant extracts. The Sugarpova line is available at Candylicious The Dubai Mall, Candylicious Yas Mall Abu Dhabi and Candylicious Dubai Airport Terminal 3. candyliciousshop.com 50
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February 2020
Products
NutriBullet Blender Combo
The new NutriBullet provides next-level blending and nutrient extraction. The blender combo comprises of an extra-large 1.6 litre Tritan pitcher. Nutribullet is available in all major retailers across the Middle East including Carrefour, Lulu, Sharaf DG, Amazon, Noon and Mumzworld among others.
Saba Kombucha
Low in sugar with four flavours to choose from, Saba Kombucha is rich in antioxidants. A bottle a day of this fermented tea is formulated to keep the gut in good health. The company uses unpasteurised ingredients, which help maintain probiotic bacteria.
Forrey & Galland Born during the golden years of ‘La Belle Epoque’ in the 1900s in Paris, Forrey & Galland, the haute-couture chocolate house was reinvented and introduced in Dubai in 2008. From exquisite handmade chocolates, macaroons and marzipans to custom hand-painted porcelain, scents and other accessories, the brand brings its 100-year spirit and Parisian touch to the region through its boutiques, one in Dubai and the other in Riyadh. forreyandgalland.com Hotel & Catering NEWS ME
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Event pReview
Arabian Travel Market to launch inaugural in-destination forum ‘Arival Dubai’ Travel, tourism and hospitality professionals from around the world will have an opportunity to explore the next generation of in-destination trends and innovations at the Middle East’s first ever edition of Arival Dubai @ ATM, which will take place alongside Arabian Travel Market (ATM) 2020 at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 19-22 The dedicated forum will enable vendors, agents and operators of tours, activities and attractions to gain invaluable insights into the latest trends and challenges impacting the in-destination industry, as well as improving customer experience and business development throughout the Middle East market. “According to the latest data from research firm Phocuswright, tours, activities and attractions are currently the third largest and fastest growing sector within the travel and tourism industry, representing approximately US$180 billion in global travel spend annually. Add to this, one third of tours, activities and attractions are booked online at present with the Middle East representing one of the world’s fastest growing online travel experience markets and we can see a pattern forming,” says Danielle Curtis, exhibition director ME, Arabian Travel Market. Delegates at the inaugural Arival Dubai @ ATM forum will have access to a packed conference agenda featuring high-profile keynote speakers, with Arival Co-Founder and CEO Douglas Quinby, kickingoff proceedings with a session on the current and future in-destination trends, challenges and opportunities shaping the Middle East sector. The forum will also feature ‘Ask Me 52
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Danielle Curtis, Exhibition Director ME, Arabian Travel Market
Douglas Quinby, Co-Founder and CEO, Arival
Anything Interviews’ with a range of senior executives from leading attractions and online agencies within the region. There will also be several roundtable discussions on innovations and distributions impacting the in-destination industry and changing consumer behavior, as well as providing insights into the key technological trends in online booking, connectivity, mobile ticketing, revenue management, and digital marketing best
practices designed specifically for tour and attraction operators. The original edition of Arival was launched in Las Vegas in 2017, with conferences now taking place across Europe, Asia and the United States. Owing to the success of Arival events to date, Arabian Travel Market organiser Reed Travel Exhibitions, partnered with Arival to bring the very first event of its kind to the Middle East. www.hotelnewsme.com
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February 2020
What's cooking?
A Mediterranean Brunch and Beyond Fairmont The Palm Chef de Cuisine Romain van Durmen tells Hotel & Catering News Middle East about his cooking style, techniques and the modern European concept Seagrill Bistro Romain van Durmen
Where are you originally from? I’m originally from Belgium, but have travelled and worked in Spain a lot. Mediterranean cuisine is something I can’t get enough of! How long have you been a chef for? I’ve been a professional chef for over 14 years and began as an apprentice for two Michelin star restaurants in Belgium: La Chateau Du Mylord and Sea Grill. It’s 54
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amazing how much you can learn as an apprentice, as it helps you form your own style of cooking as you grow in the industry. I’ve worked for other Michelin restaurants and even ran my own restaurant and catering service in Belgium, so food is my absolute passion. Tell us about the menu at Seagrill Bistro. The menu at Seagrill Bistro is a celebration of modern European cuisine which has
contemporary, market-fresh favourites infused with Mediterranean influences. At Seagrill, we’re not trying to confuse anyone or complicate anything, our goal is to serve simple quality and tasty food. There’s something very honest about using great ingredients and sticking to traditional cooking techniques – it’s unpretentious and delicious. We run a popular Friday brunch, which is where we really showcase what we can www.hotelnewsme.com
February 2020
What's cooking?
do, and not just with the food. While we do have show-stopping seafood on ice and caviar, it’s the overall atmosphere that people come back for. The service, led by the restaurant manager Mario, is second to none, while our resident DJ Timo adds to the multi-sensory experience. It’s rarely that you see a trio of creative professionals using their individual expertise in a way that really offers a new experience to the guest. What’s your signature dish? I would say the Seagrill Boullabaisse (fish stew) is our signature dish. We have repeat guests that order it time and time again and people come back to our brunch just for that. Mario has even had guests requesting the recipe through Instagram so that they can recreate it at home. What’s your guilty food pleasure? There are a lot of guilty food pleasures for a chef so naming just one would be tough. If I was asked to name a particular food that I could have all day, I would choose to have a cheese board and charcuterie (cured meat) while binge-watching Netflix all day. There’s not much that a day relaxing at home can’t cure and, when you’re a busy chef, it’s nice to have some downtime. Cheese and meat just tops it off! What are your favourite ingredients to work with and why? I love using organic produce in all of my dishes as it gives you a very fresh taste. My favourite ingredients are fennel, thyme and lemon for their versatility in soups, stocks, as a side dish or in a main course, and they always remind me of the Mediterranean. I think it’s why I love Seagrill Bistro so much with its terrace by the beach, the island life tunes from Timo, and the crisp whiteand-blue décor. You might think you’re lazing over a long lunch in the Med, rather than being 20 minutes away from the desert. What are your ambitions for the restaurant? When I started at Seagrill Bistro in 2018, the restaurant was ranked 288 on TripAdvisor
and now it’s at 45 which is fantastic. The hard work the entire team have put in to reach this far is outstanding and shows what an outlet can do with the right team. We’ll continue to produce greattasting food with varying twists along
the way and cater to industry trends. Our Saturday Sundowners are just one of the ways through which we give our guests more than just a restaurant, and we look forward to developing brand new dining opportunities as a team. Hotel & Catering NEWS ME
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February 2020
Movers & Shakers
Members Only
Lars Johannesen, CEO and founder at Privilee DMCC, tells Hotel & Catering News Middle East about the concept behind the UAE’s exclusive lifestyle membership Tell us more about how the idea behind Privilee came about. I moved to Dubai from Denmark officially in 2009. Having visited the region frequently since 2006, I knew a lot about Dubai and was a huge fan of visiting and spending weekends at beach club resorts with my wife and friends. I never thought about buying a beach club membership and instead would simply pay the day pass rates required, as we loved the flexibility and freedom of trying out different places. Along with buying lunch, drinks by the pool, a massage or sundowners and dinner, it would equate to a huge sum of money for a simple weekend in the sun. It was only when I spent a weekend with friends at a resort, who were able to benefit from multiple discounts and free access to resorts, that I realised there was a gap in the market to bring this benefit to wider residents in the region. It was important for me to create something that my family could enjoy too, so we could spend endless weekends or weekdays enjoying ‘daycation’ experiences without having to spend a fortune and still be able to sleep in our own bed. So, after a few months of researching the market, Privilee was born! A membership that would give people the freedom to explore and enjoy several resorts and recreational facilities that suited their lifestyle, without having to commit to paying a huge membership fee at only one beach club. To put it simply, Privilee is an all-encompassing fitness and lifestyle membership that gives you access to pool and beach clubs, hotel facilities, stand-alone gyms and fitness classes across the region. 56
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Lars Johannesen, CEO and founder at Privilee DMCC
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February 2020
Movers & Shakers
tips, offers, recommendations and so on. It acts as our go-to-guide for members and a directory for partners, providing information on where to go and what to do with your membership. There are so many great features such as its in-app map, so you can see what partners are nearest to you, links to our fitness timetable and so on. The app essentially acts as your personal Privilee concierge, showing access and availability information instantly, along with real-time offers, which makes us stand out from the crowd.
How do you see Privilee driving more business for the hospitality and F&B industries? Privilee acts as an awareness driver for hospitality and F&B industries. We offer a membership that gives you the freedom to go and explore many venues across the UAE that you wouldn't usually visit if you didn't have the membership.
What’s in the pipeline for Privilee? We want to work with hotels even closer than before - now that we have the app, it means we can share feedback from customers, track behaviours and encourage partners to do more of something that had a great response. We are also now at a stage in the company that enables us to expand into new offerings and locations every day, even leisure experiences, too. Our latest edition, thousands of free fitness classes and a fitness timetable are just the start. We hopefully aim to launch into other regions too within the near future, watch this space!
How do you compete with more activityspecific apps in the market, which offer 2-for-1 packages, unlimited fitness experiences, etc? We don’t put ourselves in the same category as other activity-specific apps in the market, we’re a fitness and lifestyle app that has everything you need. Firstly, we don’t just offer discounts like most others do; we offer complimentary yearround access to five-star resorts, gyms, classes and beach clubs, with the added extra perk of discounts across restaurants and spas in the UAE, so you can instantly see the difference. Secondly, our app was developed to enhance our current member experience. We wanted to remove the plastic card element and actually develop something that meant you could have everything you needed in the palm of your hand, advice
Have you seen any trends develop? Over the last year, we’ve seen an increased interest from corporates who have started to see Privilee as the ultimate wellness perk they can offer their employees. Most companies nowadays are looking at health and wellness initiatives or exploring what they can offer employees to boost motivation, performance and overall health and wellbeing. We’ve had great feedback and seen a positive response from companies who have added Privilee memberships to their ‘perk’ programs. The access to various gyms and fitness classes is not only convenient, but other leisure activities available such as tennis, squash and golf enhance social activities within teams too. Employees can train (or chill!) at venues that are close to work or home, which is a major plus.
Anantara The Palm
What does the membership offer guests, and how beneficial is it for hotels, fitness centres, spas, and F&B outlets? Privilee offers members access to luxury resorts, gyms, fitness classes, spas and kids’ clubs across the UAE. Since its launch in 2015, the company shifted its position from offering just beach and pool access, to adding many gyms, fitness classes and more as we grew to understand our customers and what they needed in their lives to have the best version of their lifestyle. We’re now the UAE’s leading fitness and lifestyle membership, providing amazing experiences to our members which we’re very proud of. Aside from offering members access to resorts and gyms for a fraction of the price, we also believe that Privilee is extremely beneficial for the venues we work with, too. Not only do we work on a business model that drives revenue to our partner venues, but we also bring quality customers to the brand - residents in the UAE who will regularly visit instead of just tourists, so it’s really valuable for extra exposure and driving repeat business. Put it this way, when our members visit resorts, they typically stay for lunch, treat themselves to a massage or spend elsewhere on a regular basis.
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February 2020
Review
BiCE Ristorante Friday Brunch By: Afshan Jamal
BiCE is back with a fantastic new spin on their traditional Italian brunch. Located in the heart of the JBR, the cosy restaurant, nestled within the Hilton, boasts the perfect ambience surrounded by the beach and pool. The new set-up features a taste of Italy throughout the restaurant, allowing guests to wander between food stations and satisfy their meat and pasta cravings. We started the meal by exploring a wide selection of salad and deli meats, set on a rustic cart along with a scrumptious array of cheese, including burrata and mozzarella balls, among others. Fresh bread is always a classic start to the Italian meal, but BiCE takes it to the next level. The cart houses a variety of breads, olives, and tomatoes, which were the perfect accompaniment to the cheese, tempting us to go back for more. Next, came the fresh pasta station, where we had the option to customise our freshly made pasta with sauce and flavourings of our choice. The grill station, located outdoors, was fired up as we went over. Succulent steaks were cooked on the spot,
perfectly to our liking. The station included an extensive range of meats and seafood including lamb chops, salmon, king prawns, chicken and, of course, smoked vegetables and sauces on the side. The service at BiCE is one to be commended. Staff were extremely attentive and quick to respond to any requests we had. While most of the set-up had been converted to self-serve carts, some BiCE classics are still offered a la carte, such as pizza slices brought to the table and the ever-entertaining risotto with a special,
“magical” showcase by the chef himself. After being lulled into a food coma, we still had the dessert station to visit. Among classic puddings and macaroons, the star of the dessert, the tiramisu, is one that should not be missed. The classic Italian dessert was not overly sweet or bitter, with accents paired perfectly with a cup of cappuccino, bringing the meal to a perfect ending. With a fresh spin on Italian food, BiCE only got better, and the brunch is a mustvisit for Italian cuisine connoisseurs – it will definitely not disappoint!
Jan 2020
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