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Ahmed El Prince 22 months ago
Al Islami Foods journey began in 1970. Known as the Dubai Co-operative Society at the time; what started out as a small grocery shop, quickly grew into the larger vision of its founder, Haj Saeed Lootah. The second shop which was opened in Karama, was closer to a modern-day supermarket, and was succeeded by the opening of more stores across Khalid bin Waleed Road, Defense Roundabout and Satwa. The breakthrough which Mr. Lootah and his team had been waiting for, came in 1979 with the opening of a hypermarket in Mirdif, which would serve as a model for all future outlets.
In 1980, the team introduced two innovative ideas: The opening of the first-ever ladies-only store on Rigga Road, and the establishment of a specialist butchers’ shops. In 1981, the company began a gradual shift from retailing to food distribution which was triggered by a news story about distributors selling fake ‘Halal-foods’. Mr. Lootah responded with a rigorous inspection programme to ensure that all his suppliers were adhering to strict halal principles. At the same time, the management recognized the need for a brand that people could trust to be fully compliant with Islamic principles, and so, Co-op Islami was born. Dubai Co-operative Society opened its first food processing plan in Jebel Ali in 1981 and started to extend its range to offer more than just fresh meat, by including burgers, frankfurters, and other convenient products to the culinary range. Dubai Co-operative Society then went on to open a larger food processing plant in Jebel Ali in 1991, to meet the growing demand. As the business continued to expand, the company rebranded as Al Islami Foods in 2006, to complement its offering of quality 100% Halal products. Under the new brand, Al Islami Foods started exporting products to Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen and Saudi Arabia. Export to the Seychelles and Libya began in 2009, followed by the Maldives in 2014 and Mauritius in 2015.
In 2017, Al Islami Foods has inaugurated the largest food manufacturing factory for the brand. Spread across 10,000 square meters, it is the most modern, complementing the existing logistics facility in Dubai Investment Park, expected to increase the production capacity by 150% reaching 17,000 Mt per year.
Today, Al Islami Foods is the premium halal food company in the UAE, and one of the biggest food distributors in the region. Quality and transparency is the foundation upon which our brand is based and we enjoy the unequivocal trust of mothers, foodies, cooking enthusiasts who wish to provide nutritious and safe halal foods to their children and families.