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Nuts about nutrition
AL KAZZI TRADING I PROFILE
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Family-owned Al Kazzi Trading has cracked the Lebanese nut industry with the production and distribution of quality nuts, seeds and health-oriented snacks for over 40 years. With innovative new products to release and exciting new snack food categories to enter, Al Kazzi’s unique production process remains integral as it pursues an export-led growth strategy. Jack Salter spoke to Supply Chain Manager, Mona Kazzi, to find out more.
The late Joseph Al Kazzi first established Al Kazzi Trading in 1980 as a one-man show, initially producing and selling various confectioneries, snacks and nut products in Lebanon –a rare feel-good story in a country ravaged by civil war at the time.
He later decided to focus on nuts and seeds, having identified a unique opportunity to produce quality, healthy products in that category, and thereby a company that was scalable both domestically and globally.
The opportunity was clinically taken, as evidenced by Al Kazzi’s 24,000 sqm plant in the municipality of Hsoun, which the company moved into in 2013.
With an increased production capacity of three tonnes per hour to meet increasing demand, (courtesy of two additional roasting lines) the factory neighbours the historic Lebanese city of Byblos, a UNESCO World Heritage Site that has been continuously inhabited since 5000 BC, making it one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.
“Our plant has been designed to cater for export sales and private labels worldwide; thus it has the ability to comply with the most stringent international standards and quality requirements,” revealed Supply Chain Manager, Mona Kazzi, daughter of Joseph Al Kazzi.
A year on from moving into its Hsoun facility, Al Kazzi Trading established another factory dedicated to roasting yellow chickpeas, the first factory of its kind in Lebanon. With preparations also underway for a new coffee roasting plant, Joseph sadly passed away in January 2021. His legacy, however, lives on at the family-owned business.
Roasted, not fried
What can’t be emphasised enough is Al Kazzi’s unique dry roasting production process, which provides the great taste of a roasted nut coupled with the health benefits of a raw nut.
The acclaimed production process is the brainchild of the company’s founder, who altered machinery imported from Europe. As a result, Al Kazzi has the distinction of being the first and only producer of exclusively roasted nuts, without any being fried, in the area.
“We believe this is the key to our products being liked. The consumer will feel it’s a light snack in the sense that it’s not soaked in frying oil; nor does it contain trans-fat oils,” explained Ms Kazzi.
“After consumption, the consumer also isn’t forced to clear traces of oil from their hands. It’s a neat product offering a positive experience that is different from the crowd.”
The Al Kazzi Mixed range, popular in the local Lebanese market, combines a variety of nuts, shelled and unshelled seeds in mixed assortments, whilst the Al Kazzi Mono selection includes individual packets of cashews, pistachios, almonds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, yellow chickpeas and much more.
“As my late father used to say, Al Kazzi will only provide customers with products that he would feed his family with. If they’re not good enough for his family, they’re not good enough for customers either,” Ms Kazzi affirmed.
Sourcing is of paramount importance in this regard, with the shape, quality, price and packaging of raw materials defining Al Kazzi’s capability to remain competitive. For this
AL KAZZI TRADING I PROFILE
reason, the company’s relationship withsuppliers is never compromised.
“The secret to this relationship is to ‘never default, never manoeuvre’. We honour all commitments and keep a very high level of transparency,” shared Ms Kazzi. “Due to our long-term tenure with suppliers, we have built up a significant amount of mutual trust.”
Commitment to quality
Of the company’s 150 employees, Al Kazzi is especially proud of its Quality and R&D departments, through which innovative ideas are fed and product profiles are adapted to consumer needs in every geographical market.
Quality is not merely an empty slogan for Al Kazzi, who incidentally have gained ISO 22000:2018 food safety certification, but the result of state-of-the-art production processes and technologies, whilst the company’s advanced R&D capabilities ensure innovative products are created to both satisfy consumer preferences and maintain healthiness.
“The key in the nuts and seeds market is not just to have a big budget, but to have the right quality and commitment to serving the consumer,” Ms Kazzi pointed out. “When it comes to production processes and innovative products, we bank on our Quality and R&D departments to stay abreast of the latest developments in the field.”
One such innovation currently in development, an exciting new peanut-based product, was teased by Ms Kazzi. “This is a new invention that we’ll be releasing. It’s a peanut product which is far healthier than any other peanut available on the market,” she hinted.
“This important innovation is the fruit of our cooperation with one of the most eminent food technology professors in the country. We expect it to become big news and help us become a global actor.”
Al Kazzi’s sales team, meanwhile, is the company’s primary source of information in terms of consumer needs and trends, supported by sales analysts. Though the consumer shift to healthy or organic products, such as nuts, has recently been curtailed in Lebanon by domestic economic conditions, it continues to grow elsewhere.
“In our export markets the trend is continuing, and it’s even supported by some governments who are using fiscal tools, as well as awareness campaigns, to support it in their respective territories,” Ms Kazzi observed.
“Needless to say, due to the current economic difficulties in Lebanon, we also still have to do our best to keep the prices as accessible as possible.”
Continuous improvement
Despite an impressive estimated market share of 28% in Lebanon, Al Kazzi remains keen on continuous improvement, particularly in export markets.
“Currently, our main objective is to dramatically develop our exports. Therefore we’re entering new food categories which will improve our chance of increasing our market share internationally,” revealed Ms Kazzi. “We aim to become a player in various snack categories.”
To this end, Al Kazzi’s window to the world will be the company’s new website, which is on the brink of launching and will include an e-commerce platform.
In spite of the several challenges facing Al Kazzi within Lebanon, from currency rate instability to lack of energy supplies and soaring living expenses, the company is optimistic about ongoing efforts.
“We have experience of operating in VUCA (volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity) environments, we have a team committed to the company, and we have plans in place which we are confident will enable us to succeed and emerge stronger,” Ms Kazzi concluded. n
