SIG has collaborated with UAE-based dairy company Meliha Dairy, a premium organic dairy brand produced by the Sharjah Agriculture and Livestock Production Establishment (Ektifa), to develop an Organic Suhoor Drink packaged in a 200 ml carton format for distribution during Ramadan across the UAE.
The product was developed and test-filled at SIG’s Customer Experience Hub in Dubai. The facility supports product development from concept to pilot production, allowing companies to test recipes and packaging formats before commercialisation. The Suhoor drink combines organic milk, oats and dates and was positioned as a convenient option for consumption before fasting hours.
Approximately 4,000 packs were distributed in labour accommodation facilities across the UAE during the Ramadan period. The initiative focused on providing a packaged nutritional beverage to workers observing fasting.
According to SIG, the project was completed within a short development timeframe through collaboration between the two companies. The Dubai-based Customer Experience Hub was used to prototype and validate the product under production conditions.
Niall Hoey, Director of Markets – MEA at SIG, said the project demonstrates how collaboration can support the development of new products and enable testing prior to scaling production.
A spokesperson from Ektifa, representing the Meliha brand, said the initiative aligns with the organisation’s approach to organic dairy production and community-oriented distribution during Ramadan.
The project also highlights the use of small-format carton packaging for targeted, short-run applications linked to specific consumption occasions.
SIG stated that such collaborations are part of its broader approach to supporting customers in product development and packaging trials through its regional facilities.
The initiative reflects the role of application-focused development centres in enabling packaging trials and limited volume production runs for new concepts before wider market introduction within regional supply chains and distribution networks.