UAE-based market leader for packaging and processing dates, Al Barakah Dates is planning to expand its existing facility in the Dubai Industrial City to become the world’s largest privately-owned dates factory.
With this expansion, the food company will be able to process over 100,000 tons of date and date products annually, equivalent to almost half of the UAE’s entire domestic harvest.
Its large new state-of-the-art facility, which will be completed in early 2022, will cover a total area of 600,000 square feet, including 420,000 square feet of dedicated manufacturing and cold storage space. The sustainable facility will be fitted with over 6,500 solar panels to offset 3,000 tons of emissions each year, to promote global decarbonization efforts.
Its expansion comes as date production rises year-on-year, driven by demand for healthier sugar alternatives and fueled by modern technologies that have helped the products compete as healthy and vegan alternatives to sugar and other fructose-based products.
Yousuf Saleem MD – Al Barakah Dates
“This expansion will allow us to further grow our range of organic and conventional date products to cater to the growing needs of health-conscious consumers around the world. Today we have taken the traditional date and transformed it into various ingredients that serve as direct sugar replacements. These include pastes, syrups, and date sugars. Dubai Industrial City, the region’s largest manufacturing and logistics hub, and their team have been a pillar of our growth by offering world-class infrastructure and facilities.”
Saud Abu Al Shawareb, Managing Director of Dubai Industrial City said, “We are pleased to play a role in the ongoing success story of Al Barakah Dates, and we eagerly anticipate the completion of its new facility to add yet another record-breaking achievement to Dubai’s growing list of accomplishments in the manufacturing space.”
“As a leader in the date market, Al Barakah’s expansion will contribute significantly to the UAE’s national food security efforts, while also testifying that our holistic ecosystem is well-placed to serve the specialized needs of food and beverage leaders and support them onto their next phase of growth,” Mr. Al Shawareb added.
Al Barakah Dates
Established in 1988, Al Barakah Dates began as a foodstuff import or export facility and has grown over time to emerge as a market leader for packaged and processed dates. It is now the Middle East’s first British Retail Consortium (BRC)-certified dates plant, producing over 65,000 tonnes of dates, syrup, and paste.
