Miller Magazine Issue: 139 July 2021

73 TECHNOLOGY PLATFORM MILLER / july 2021 Which kind of products do you produce? Coffee, gluten-free flour & pasta, wheat flour & ani- mal feed. What are your best-known brands? Karam Coffee, Flocons (gluten-free flour) & Ajao (glu- ten-free pasta) in UAE, and a range of Milling Compa- ny-1 flours & feeds in Saudi Arabia. Where do you import wheat for flour? All wheat in Saudi Arabia is supplied by the govern- ment from mixed origin including Saudi wheat, but we have intense experience of handling & milling wheat from all over the globe (details are in my article in your esteemed magazine in the May 2021 issue). Where do you export your products? Currently, we are focusing on our region. Consumers’ attitudes, priorities and behaviors are shifting. Covid-19 pandemic has triggered health and wellness spending. Could you tell us about changing eating habits and food trends in the Mid- dle East? I have seen a growing trend of either home cook- ing/baking & increase in online processed food orders due to Covid-19 during the past year and a half. What are the major challenges for food proces- sors in the region? This is an open market where we see loads of im- ported food products (both processed & unprocessed) that are not necessarily the best or cheap. What are your future targets in your operating market? Which regions and markets do you see as potential? We are focused on our own region with innovative products. What are your expectations from the machinery and technology supplier for the milling industry? There has been a rapid growth of so many flour mill- ing machinery & technology suppliers during the past 20 years, however, we prefer to select only the best, for efficiency, quality and long-lasting service in years to come. In which areas do you need innovative solutions? NIR testing is an area that needs to be further simpli- fied as a rapid & innovative solution. I personally feel that a lot can be done in this area. As a world-renowned food scientist, what advice can you give to the young people who plan to get into the grain industry/business? I am not too sure if I am a world-renowned food sci- entist or not, but I always try to INNOVATE, and food science is a field where there is absolute room to inno- vate if one has the passion. Is there anything else you would like to add? It is challenging to operate in a VUCA (volatile, uncer- tain, complex & ambiguous) environment while demon- strating cost-saving modules by commercially advanta- geous recommendations, but it is definitely possible if one believes that the loser is the one who accepts defeat.