Jafza, a hub for entrepreneurs and smart businesses from around the world, powers local businesses to go global. The meteoric rise of Al Bayader International that creates practical, safe and innovative food packaging solutions for the global retail and food service industries, is a testament to this.
After establishing a facility in Jafza more than a decade ago, Al Bayader International grew to have a dedicated team of over 1,000 employees, 3,500 plus products, 400 business partners, 9,000 happy business customers, and millions of consumers worldwide.
The Zone speaks to Ali Taha, the Head of Marketing and Communications at Al Bayader International, who sheds light on the company’s incredible journey, which started 15 years ago, when they first opened an office in Jafza. Their free zone facilities were started as a way to strengthen the company’s export and import operations, but Jafza’s multi-level support enabled the group to experience impressive growth.
During the recent supply chain disruptions and the threats posed by COVID-19 to businesses across the globe, Al Bayader International continued to seamlessly distribute stellar products throughout the UAE, the region and beyond. Their teams worked tirelessly to enhance local partnerships. For this, their presence in Jafza, the vital trading hub of the region has played a crucial role.
The power of eCommerce
While highlighting Jafza’s capabilities, Taha talked about the DUBUY platform and said, “One of the key ways that we received Jafza’s support was by being part of their robust e-commerce platform called DUBUY.com – the single platform for exports, imports and regional trade. The B2B e-marketplace allowed us to widen our consumer base.”
“While DP World’s DUBUY has opened up access to different parts of the world, our own e-commerce platforms have bolstered our expansion within the UAE and the wider GCC region. In addition to this, over the years, we have increased our sales channels by also opening several retail shops.”
With a total of nine retail shops, seven in the UAE and two in other GCC countries, Al Bayader International is eyeing multi-digit growth in the coming years in terms of their locations as well as the number of customers.
A secure business ecosystem
The Free Zone continues to offer novel solutions that improve the business environment. Jafza’s collaboration with Etihad Credit Insurance (ECI) is a milestone that is enabling business growth, lowering the cost of export, mitigating the risk of non-payment, and lowering pre and post-shipment funding, among its other tailored solutions.
“ECI is definitely another key benefit. It has supported our expansion, increased our exporting capacity, and diluted the impact of COVID-19 on the local business environment,” explains Taha.
Sustainability at the heart of everything
With time, Al Bayader International’s Jafza facilities became one of the main industrial complexes for the company. Today, the company isn’t just a market leader for its value-added products, it is also highly focused on sustainability. This is evident throughout their ISO-certified location within Jafza.
Their facilities are powered by a solar farm on the building’s rooftop. They also have a flourishing botanical garden and a sewerage water treatment plant that reuses water for irrigation.
Truly ‘made in the UAE’
Al Bayader International is making its mark globally by producing and supplying millions of products with the ‘Made in the UAE’ stamp. The company is successfully reaching markets throughout the GCC region, Africa, Europe and North America. “Jafza is one of the most important transit complexes in the world with its multi-modal connectivity through land, sea, and air. We owe a big part of our success to them,” concludes Taha.
“During the recent supply chain disruptions caused by COVID, Al Bayader International continued to seamlessly distribute stellar products throughout its key markets.”