Miller Magazine Issue: 139 July 2021

70 TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM MILLER / july 2021 We have a world-renowned food scientist for Miller Magazine’s Technology Platform section: Dr. Irfan Hash- mi, Chief Technical Officer at UAE-based Essa Al-Ghurair Investment. With his over 30 years of working experi- ence in grain processing, Dr. Hashmi is a doyen of the food industry. When he began as a young quality engi- neer with the Al Ghurair Group, the group had one flour mill. He witnessed the company becoming one of the leading companies in the food industry in the Middle East with the leadership of Mr. Essa Abdulla Al Ghurair. The group has profound experience in flour milling, com- missioning & operations, packaging & supply, wheat pro- curement and trading. Speaking to Miller Magazine, Dr.Hashmi shares his more than 30 years of experience with us and comments on the future of milling. Dr. Hashmi, first of all, I want to thank you for ac- cepting our interview request…Could you please tell us about your background? How did you get into the grain industry? I thank you very much for inviting me for this interview. I was born & educated in Pakistan and came to UAE in 1986 after completing my master's degree in process en- gineering from the USA to begin my carrier with the first flour mill in this country. Immediately after joining, I was sent to Switzerland, Germany, UK & Australia for further training in flour milling-related fields. Between 1994-1997, I pursued my Ph.D. in bio-processing from Australia while on the payroll of the group in UAE. It was very kind of Mr. Essa Al Ghurair. You have over 30 years of working experience in the grain/food processing industry. Could you tell us changes in the industry in your long journey? When I began as a young quality engineer with the Al Ghurair Group, there was only one flour mill of 600MT/ day capacity, and then we gradually grew to produce over 4000MT/day flour in many countries in this region. Furthermore, we also built new grain mills (ie. maize, oats, rice, pulses, burghul, animal feed) as well as oil- seed crushing/refining, pasta/ noodles and many more. I was invited by the RACI, USWA, ASA, FFI & IAOM to present technical papers, lectures, training programs, “There has been a rapid growth of so many flour milling machinery & technology sup- pliers during the past 20 years, however, we prefer to select only the best, for effi- ciency, quality and long-lasting service in years to come…We are focused on our own region with innovative products. I always try to innovate. Food science is a field where there is absolute room to innovate if one has the passion.” Dubai-based Essa Al-Ghurair Investment to grow with innovative products Dr. Irfan Hashmi Chief Technical Officer Essa Al-Ghurair Investment