The Middle East’s leading food brand PINAR has opened its first-ever production site abroad in Abu Dhabi, UAE and more interestingly this site is also UAE’s first processed cheese factory.
Yasar Group, which owns PINAR, has officially opened the new plant in the UAE set up with an initial investment of approximately $27 million, 100 million AED. The inauguration took place on Tuesday, 12th November, at KIZAD (Khalifa Industrial Zone Abu Dhabi), Abu Dhabi. PINAR will be producing its first-ever “Made in the UAE” cheese at the new complex, which will be PINAR’s key strategic manufacturing hub in the MENA region.
Attending the launch of the new facility was H.E. Mariam bint Mohamed Almheiri, Minister for State for Food Security and Samir Chaturvedi, CEO of KIZAD.
“Creating strong partnerships with the private sector is a key pillar in supporting the UAE’s food security profile, as it strengthens food production and management across the entire food value chain through the launch of innovation-based food projects. The opening of this new PINAR facility is a tangible outcome of the UAE’s targeted investment in the food sector, which aims to increase domestic food production to cope with the country’s ever increasing population growth,” said H.E. Almheiri.
Arda Cenk Tokbas, the founding Managing Director of HDF FZCO and Hadaf Foods Industries LLC, said: “We are delighted to announce our first factory in the GCC officially open in the UAE’s capital. This makes us also extremely proud that our state-of-the-art factory is the first processed cheese plant of the UAE. We are committed to increasing our presence in the region and catering to all our consumers’ needs across the Middle East. Keeping the UAE’s initiative in mind, sustainability will always be at the forefront of every decision we make, along with delivering the highest quality products and staying up-to-date with the latest trends and innovation in the global food sector.”
Using smart manufacturing techniques, this state-of-the-art factory is technology-driven and highly digitized with real-time online tracking through its Integrated Automation Systems. Today, the facility has the capacity of approximately 30,000 tons of cheese production per year, and in next couple of years the company expects to double the annual production to more than 60,000 tons. The most advanced quality control system is an essential component of Pinar’s effective quality assurance, their devotion to supplying new and innovative products as well as delivering the finest quality products to the region. All the new products made at the new facility will be sold primarily in the Middle East and North Africa as well as several new potential markets.
Spanning 20,000 square meters, the new base has created over 100 new jobs in the Capital. Yasar Group is also currently looking at opportunities for further manufacturing facilities in the Middle East, which will in turn create more job opportunities in the region.
Samir Chaturvedi, CEO of KIZAD, commented: “The opening of Pinar’s first processed cheese plant in the UAE is a strong validation of KIZAD’s value proposition that the world’s leading companies and brands benefit most from the infrastructure that KIZAD, and more broadly Abu Dhabi Ports, provide. Abu Dhabi Ports is a global trade enabler, deploying its integrated assets and services to support international organisations in the manufacturing and distribution of their products.
A key part of the country’s UAE Vision 2021 is ensuring sustainable development while preserving the environment, which has been a central focus in the development of the new PINAR facility in Abu Dhabi. Some of the key initiatives at the new PINAR facility include treating 100% of the wastewater, recycling all product packaging, creating solar energy which will provide up to 20% of the plant power needs, fully insulated walls and a ceiling to save cooling energy. PINAR takes its environmental footprint very seriously and is committed to the United Nations Global Compact to implement universal sustainability principles in all of our practices.
PINAR has a long-term commitment to the Middle East, having been present in the region for thirty-five years and has grown significantly through both retail and out-of-home channels. The brand is a market leader for labneh across the GCC since the first year of its launch in 1984.
