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Nestle on Tuesday inaugurated a new $145 million culinary and coffee factory in Dubai, the Swiss food giant’s third facility in the emirate and part of its wider expansion plan for the region.
Al-Maha factory, located in Dubai’s Jebel Ali free zone area, will locally manufacture Nestle’s famous Maggi culinary products and Nescafe coffee mixes, creating 340 new jobs. The Vevey-based firm already has two other factories in Dubai, manufacturing bottled water, chocolates and milk powder products.
“Al-Maha is yet another way for us to meet our commitment to the Middle East,” said Yves Manghardt, chairman and CEO of Nestle in the Middle East.
“Manufacturing locally enables us to source locally, invest locally, make tailored products to better meet local needs, and serve communities in the region more rapidly and more effectively,” he added.
Nestle, which was founded in 1905 and is famous for brands such as Kit Kat, Nesquik and Smarties, has invested around $400 million in the Middle East over the past five years, according to a company press release.
It also has factories in Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous nation and Saudi Arabia, its biggest market along with others in Iraq, Lebanon and Iran.
It last year finalised a deal to build a 100 million dirhams ($27.22 million) water factory in Abu Dhabi, which is due to be completed by the end of 2018. Overall, Nestle has 18 factories in the region, according to the company’s website.
Globally, Nestle, the world’s biggest packaged food company, had posted a weaker than expected growth for 2016 on global growth slow down, according to Reuters.
© Zawya 2017
