May 2011
Adnan Durrani is building a pioneering corporation in the world of halal-isms.  He is a stalwart of the food and beverage sector, boasting a hat-trick of transforming startup companies into multi-million dollar, socially responsible corporations.  Despite his impressive track record, he found himself in a quandary post 9-11.  Having achieved widespread commercial success in corporate America as a serial entrepreneur, Durrani wanted to merge his business savvy and his spiritual disposition to make an impact within the challenging times in which he was living.

Durrani incubated an all-natural food project that turned into something of a higher calling.  This project not only catered to Muslims, but to the American public at large as well - charting out a path to unveil and introduce the underlying beauty and truth about humanity that Islam champions to a diverse consumer base.  His idea was Saffron Road, a pathway that would act as confluence between business, identity, inter-faith and inter-cultural understanding.

Three successful ventures and counting

Durrani is no stranger to the Food  & Beverage sector.  His credentials are mind-blowing.  In 1991, Durrani founded Vermont Pure / Crystal Rock, now the second largest bottled water company in Northeast America. This was followed an investment in Stonyfield Farms, Inc, where he was appointed as a financial partner. He tripled their book value to USD 70 million in a mere seven years - setting the stage for the eventual acquisition by Danone.  Today, Stonyfield generates over USD 300 million in sales annually. The hat trick was completed with the success of Delicious Brands, Inc, which Durrani molded to become the 5th largest cookie brand in the U.S.

Having conquered the traditional food market, Durrani set his eyes on the nascent halal-organic market for launching his next venture in the United States under the brand - Saffron Road.  American Muslims spend USD 200 billion a year in food products, while allocating approximately USD3 billion on kosher food items, he estimates.  However, Saffron Road is aiming to have a wider appeal.  In a conversation with DinarStandard, Durrani elaborates saying, "many non-Muslim consumers, especially those devoted to the sustainable values and natural foods, view Saffron Road as unmatched."  This unique positioning of Saffron Road is due to the meticulous and extremely rigorous pursuit of quality and ethical approach of Saffron Road in observing the halal concept to the core.

Observing halal standards and going organic is, by itself, a competitive advantage over other organic food products. "Our mission is ethical consumerism--to restore our sacred relationship with our food."  Opposing genetic modification of foods, Durrani explains, "we are the only certified humane entrée in the world--no halal or kosher entrée brand can claim this.  The HFAC (Humane Farm Animal Care) uses animal rights activist Temple Grandin to set their standards by guarantees. HFAC certifies and audits Saffron Road's humane practices to ensure that our treatment of our livestock is with the utmost dignity."

"We are also one of the only antibiotic-free protein entrees sold at Whole Foods Market (world's largest retailer of natural and organic foods.) We are gluten-free, hormone-free, grass-fed, and sourced from family owned farms--not large commercial factory farms."

As the condiment saffron indicates, the company markets their homegrown halal and all-natural food with an Indian twist, in a very "American" fashion: pre-packed frozen entrees.  A core theme is to facilitate the jiving of halal lifestyle with the fast-paced American life and simplicity when it comes to food.  Consumers can now access Saffron Road's products from Whole Foods Market stores, as well as other retailers. The company is poised for growth; Saffron Road plans to roll out their products in 4,000 other stores in just this year alone.

Muslims, the Indian food market, and marketing professionalism

Indian cuisine posed as the first tantalizing milestone for Saffron Road, with the Indian food market boasting top growth rates amongst the USD 70 billion ethnic food market. The Indian market also represents the second most affluent market in the US.  To top that off, leading market intelligence RNCOS relayed in their study Indian Food and Drinks Market: Emerging Opportunities, that the same market is one of the fastest growing markets globally with a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 7.5% from 2009 to 2013.

But the journey doesn't end with Indian flavors. Asked if Saffron Road would pave paths to other culinary cultures, Durrani says, "Yes. New antibiotic-free and 100% natural entrees will be added from Moroccan, Middle Eastern, and Thai menus." Gluten-free nuggets are also slated to be added to their suite of products. Another innovative meal would be Saffron Road's halal soups and broths, which Durrani describes to be in "high-end tetra / recart packaging, and unlike cans, is BPA free and all natural."

All products are set to uphold the Islamic principles of growingly conscientious Muslim populace in the States.  According to 2008 - 2010 Market Studies by J W Thompson and Ogilvy Noor, 70% of Muslims are far more brand conscious; 80% want to support brands that represent their Muslim identity; and 75% look for brands that make them feel part of a wider community. And to rope in the "wider community," Saffron Road has taken the digital highway via social networks to reach out to their consumers.

Having developed major brands, Durrani did not cut corners on marketing of Saffron Road.  He engaged with professional firms for brand development, communications, and digital marketing.  Saffron Road has developed a strong relationship with zabihah.com (world's largest guide to halal restaurants) for product promotion, pin-pointing retail locations to consumers, and gathering market data and analysis.  This coupled with its highly successful product launch at Whole Foods Market is charting its high growth path.

Yet despite his impressive accomplishments and the ingenious blueprint for Saffron Road, Adnan Durrani remains humble. "We are just a very small start up brand and subhanAllah we have been blessed with barakat to have achieved modest success in a relatively short time."

Positive outlook despite market adversities

Durrani acknowledges the surging commodity prices, including essential ingredients in his mix - such as lamb, chicken, oil and spices - as a current challenge. "Concurrent to this is a recession-fatigued consumer and financially challenged retailers that are not willing to increase suggested retail prices since they don't believe consumers can absorb them in the current climate."

"It is a double hit for us as a manufacturer and marketer." However, he has invaluable experience to leverage upon, thus, he remains positive. "The Saffron Road will indeed be a challenging one in these difficult economic times, but this type of challenge is what produces the best opportunities for an experienced and guerilla tactical team like ours. By the fact that we have had incredible repeat purchases and high sales velocity in stores is remarkable testament of the brand value we are excited to be building on."

A future challenge is the absence of universal halal certification standards, which could tarnish the reputation of stalwart halal-service providers, like Saffron Road.

But as expected, Adnan Durrani takes Saffron Road well in stride. "We are not really an integral Muslim enterprise, but we aspire to be a niche player in a very high end premium market devoted to Tayyib (pure) values and ethical consumerism. We know this means we may not grow to be a huge company with a large percentage of the mainstream Muslim or halal market and that is fine by us. We are on a mission to attract and build an emotional connection with those consumers who identify with our value system." And many have.  Natural Products Expo (a major industry event) recognizes the products as one of those very few with non-antibiotic meat. Fancy Food Show voted Saffron Road as one of the Top 10 products to be watched in 2011. SuperMarket Guru has declared Saffron Road as "a hit."  No doubt, with Saffron Road halal is taking a giant leap towards going main stream in the US.

A visionary journey

It looks like the grass can only get greener for Saffron Road.  As a Muslim who champions Islamic values, including inter-faith understanding and respect for all creatures, Adnan Durrani is successfully building a brand that enjoins the strictest halal and "Tayyib" (wholesome) standards with benefits for both Muslims and non-Muslims.  Saffron Road is indeed pioneering a powerful manifestation of ethical consumerism and Islamic beliefs.

© Dinar Standard 2011