Agthia Group, one of the region’s leading food & beverage companies, participated at the Gulfood 2023, which was held in Dubai from 20 to 24 February 2023.
Agthia showcased its full brand portfolio across the water, food, snacking, and protein business verticals; underscoring a significant increase in its product offerings and strengthened regional presence in key markets, including Egypt, Jordan and the wider GCC, in addition to its stronghold markets in the UAE.
Between 2020 and 2022, Agthia Group established new snacking and protein business units anchored by high-performance brands, including healthy snacking pioneers BMB Group in the UAE and Abu Auf in Egypt and protein market leaders, Atyab in Egypt and Nabil Foods in Jordan. Agthia has been proactive in tapping into the shifts in consumer trends in the UAE and beyond, especially a surge toward more value-added and more sustainable products. Freakin’ Healthy and Date Crown, Agthia’s flagship snacking brands, continue to develop new markets for the company across the area and worldwide in response to the growing demand for healthy food options.
Agthia’s protein business is expected to bring sizable benefits with attractive growth and margin potential. It is also a sector leader in research and development, unlocking opportunities to develop new by-products with higher margins in line with evolving consumer trends and enabling Agthia to offer a broader product range that caters to different categories of consumers with diverse needs, as well as establish a strong presence in key markets in the region, including Saudi Arabia.
Alan Smith, Chief Executive Officer, Agthia Group, said “Gulfood is a key event for Agthia, it brings the whole industry together at the start of the year to discuss industry-wide trends and opportunities. For most F&B players, including Agthia, our priority is to get quality and more sustainable products into stores and restaurants, at attractive price points for customers. The food industry is fundamental, and the resilience of food systems is essential, but inflation and supply related disruptions, present a challenge to everyone in our sector.”
“As we rise to meet these challenges, supply chain takes centre stage, and established events such as Gulfood connects us to suppliers, enables us to diversify our supplier portfolio, establish and maintain relationships with partners. Importantly, it helps us keep our thumb on the pulse and engage directly with customers. As Agthia evolves into a data-focused and customer centric business, listening to consumers and staying ahead of trends will ensure that we stay successful in the long term.”
As a result of its sustained M&A activity, Agthia’s revenues rose by 33% YoY to AED 4 billion reflecting growth across all segments, with revenue growth in excess of 70% from snacking and protein segments. Agthia continues to advance its five-year business strategy, expanding capabilities, driving efficiencies, and achieving record growth, despite a challenging global context. Agthia is in an advanced stage of reframing its ESG strategy to reflect its growing regional and international footprint and scale of operations and is pursuing an ambitious digitisation agenda to maximise efficiencies, streamline logistics and de-risk value chains.