BARAKAT QUALITY PLUS

B ARAK AT Q UALI T Y P LU S

Reigniting the quest for good health www.barakatjuices.com

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JUICES Flowing KEEPING THE

Barakat Quality Plus is taking freshness to a new level in the UAE, thanks to a familyoriented workforce striving to instil the same care and comfort they receive into the Company’s products Writer: Matthew Staff Project Manager: Joshua Mann

ore than a quarter of a century of ambition has been realised in the form of Barakat Quality Plus (BQP), having witnessed the transformation of creating freshly pressed juices and cut fruit and vegetables into a tasteful art.

Opening for business in 2001 as an extended kitchen to the food industry in the UAE, the subsequent 15 years has seen the Barakat Group subsidiary diversify and expand its fresh fruit and vegetable delivery service beyond recognition; reaching new sector verticals in the process.

Reaching out from the initial distribution to ships docked at local ports, the Company soon turned to

serving Dubai’s growing collection of hotels, caterers and grocers, and now with the city thriving as one of the key global hubs, businesses such as Barakat Quality Plus are equally reaping the benefits.

“Today, the group serves institutional customers across the UAE, Oman and Lebanon, with BQP – the fruit and vegetable distributor – one of the key divisions,” affirms the subsidiary’s Managing Director (MD), Mike Wunsch. “Barakat products are honest, healthy and available at a market near you. We provide you with fresh fruit juices, fruit salads, cut vegetables, vegetable juices, soups, sorbets, and a host of nature’s freshness that will reignite your quest for good health.”

Now exploring further growth avenues through increased exports and volumes, Wunsch attributes the secrets of the Group’s success to its undeterred commitment to serving juice in its purest state, but more importantly, to the employees – or ‘Barakatis’ – who continue to drive such improvements in the Company on a daily basis.

“Before starting the juice production for the day, the employees gather

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EXCEL PLASTICS INDUSTRY LLC

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stablished in 2005, Excel Plastics Industry LLC is focused in providing high quality PET/HDPE packaging by utilising the best quality raw materials, machinery and qualified engineers.

Catering to our customers’ needs, we have adopted single stage and double stage technology from some of the world’s best machine manufacturers, including AOKI-Japan, ASB Nessai-Japan and SIDEL. With our registered office in Ajman, it allows us to provide efficient services for business throughout the Sharjah, Jabel Ali and the Abu Dhabi regions.

T +971 6 743 1148 E excelpl@emirates.net.ae

www.excel-plast.com

Barakat juices are packed with lots of nutrients

together and pray in their own faith, asking God to give them strength to do their work with love, which will bring a smile to every customer’s face,” he says. “They ensure that the juices they extract are packed with lots of blessings. In 2002, Barakat had only 22 employees and that number has increased to more than 700 in 2016.”

Operational robustness

Another key differentiator that BQP enjoys is its dedication to ongoing research and development and the subsequent investments made into new systems; ultimately culminating in accolades and international accreditations including ISO 22000 and ISO 9001 certificates, as well as A-grade certification and HALAL certification from the Dubai Municipality.

All of which represent a remarkable outcome to a journey that began exactly 40 years ago, as Wunsch recalls: “The

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BQP is dedicated to R&D, reflected by its accreditations

genesis of Barakat dates back to 1976 with our humble beginnings in the trade of fresh vegetables and fruits. Barakat Vegetables and Fruits was found by Mahmood Barakat to serve hospitality with fresh vegetables and fruits in 1972.

“Mr Jayaraman, our CEO and visionary, joined Barakat in 1980 with a service-oriented thought process, while I had travelled and worked in more than 20 countries at more than 35 five-star hotels as a chef and executive chef, over the course of which I gained invaluable experience of the hospitality segment and priceless insights into this highly competitive industry.”

‘Chef Mike’ – as the MD is affectionately referred to – worked tirelessly to achieve his ambitions of improving professionalism and efficiency within his kitchens and went on to instil such principles in BQP; the resulting adherence to the latest consumer demands and consequential production requirements becoming of paramount importance from then on.

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Proud to be associated with Barakat

EXTRUSION BLOW MOLDING INJECTION MOLDING | PET–STRETCH BLOW MOULDING We produce PET and HDPE bottles, along with various types of closures for the Food & Drink, Cosmetics, Personal Care, Pharmaceutical and Dairy industries.

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Mob: +971 50 4621364

P.O. Box 20869 Ajman, United Arab Emirates Email: excelpl@emirates.net.ae Website: www.excel-plast.com

Excelsior Fruit International P/L would like to congratulate Barakat Quality Plus on their 40 year anniversary.

“Suppor ting Australian growers through expor t ” Excelsior Fruit International encompasses 40 years experience in fresh fruit and specializes in the export of Australian stone fruits, mangoes, grapes, citrus and persimmon.

BQP’s certifications and R&D set it apart from the competition

www.excelsiorfruit.com.au

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Constantly innovating its product ranges

“Studying the increasing demands in the market is our major focus; customers are constantly on the lookout for new products that can contribute to their health,” he says.

“Keeping this in mind and having access to the required sources to make these products, we are constantly innovating with our products.

“We recently launched the Red Cleanse & Green Juice in the market, two power-packed concoctions that took off very well and are in demand by our customers now. We are looking at more options like this and are hoping to launch new products every three months.”

Major upgrades across the Company’s technology portfolio, process lines, machineries, capacities and admin systems have facilitated such an ethos, and have also enabled the Company to look further afield to locations like Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the Maldives from an export perspective. Ensuring the success of all this though, is an increasingly complex and well-refined supply chain management strategy.

Wunsch explains: “The most critical part of our operations is the

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BQP recently launched the Red Cleanser & Green Juice to the market

procurement of the right raw material at the right price throughout the year.

UAE does not boast many farms and fresh produce that supply superior quality vegetables throughout the year, so most of our fresh produce must be imported.

“Our suppliers are divided into food, non-food suppliers (packing materials, uniform, tools and machines etc)

and miscellaneous (stationary, office supplies etc), and the scope, depth and operational requirements of each supplier vary with the item and nature of delivery.”

Global relationships with suppliers in Australia, Spain, Italy, Thailand, India and China are complemented by a healthy assortment of local GCC allies to offset these challenges, and to

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All our suppliers are extensions of our operations and we work very closely with them in order to install in them the same sense of responsibility, operational robustness and shared values associated with BQP

generate the highest quality produce.

“All our suppliers are extensions of our operations and we work very closely with them in order to install in them the same sense of responsibility, operational robustness and shared values associated with BQP,” Wunsch adds. “Our media partners, technology partners and marketing partners are also trained in the aforementioned qualities and this ensures that we are on the same page and that our goals and visions are aligned.”

A freshness you can taste

‘Chef Mike’ Wunsch, Managing Director, BQP

Driving the fresh products industry since 2002, the need to monitor the business patterns and trends dictating consumer behaviours is something that BQP has had to hone over the years, especially considering the general growth of the sector recorded at around 40 percent each year.

An increase in population, the development of the tourism industry and a general increase in demand for healthier food types has given operators the perfect opportunity to capitalise, and Barakat has done so better than most, as seen through its year-on-year revenue growth since 2012 especially.

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Employees share the same passion and unified happiness as the Company’s founders

Once again, Wunsch attributes this success to the vision and mission laid out by the organisation, and the people behind their implementation.

“It’s a continuous process of practicing the values and guiding the team towards the goals by understanding the capabilities and capacities of each and every member by going down to their level and uplifting them through love, patience and motivation,” he says. “Being a serviceoriented organisation of 750 people – offering convenience by serving fresh products filled with positive vibes – it’s the passion and selflessness of our

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founders which has got us rolling, but the challenge is to bring out the same passion and unified happiness throughout the whole Company.

“We have converted Barakat into a family, its employees into family members, and have given each Barakati instant empowerment through our common values of equality, love and respect.”

Enrichment continues outside of the bounds of Barakat also via numerous corporate social responsibility efforts in the local community – bridging education, health, utility provision and management, and energy sustainability

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The Barakat family

– epitomising a general business ethos that looks set to take BQP to even further market success in the future.

“At Barakat, we don’t yearn for return on investment; rather, we strive for return of impression,” Wunsch alludes to the Company motto.

“To maintain the philosophy of an extended kitchen where the fruit ends up in your juice bottle, it is important for a family-like atmosphere where the workers share a sense of bonding. I say that this multilingual and cultural set-up is a reflection of our products; varied, authentic and rich in diversity and colour.

Sharing common values of equality, love and respect

“Being in this industry has been a challenging one, and we have tried our best to retain the pristine and natural freshness in every product we serve.

We want our consumers to live and feel that freshness in a Barakat product and not just buy it as a marketing word. The taste of a Barakat product is its identity that distinguishes it from the others.”

Wunsch concludes: “It’s not just another product claiming to be fresh; it’s a freshness you can taste, smell, feel and trust wholeheartedly every time your hand reaches out for a Barakat Quality Plus product.”

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BARAKAT QUALITY PLUS Factory Phase One: Jebel Ali Ind. Area 2 PO Box 48989, Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 880 2121 Fax: +971 4 880 2122 sales@bqpdubai.com

www.barakatjuices.com