Al Ghurair Foods has announced a set of strategic developments on the opening day of Gulfood 2026, outlining its next stage of growth. The plan focuses on value-added ingredients, stronger supply chains, and expansion into new international markets.
The announcements include the launch of PURL, a new food ingredients brand, and a $20 million investment in a meat coating systems plant in the UAE. These steps reflect the company’s move beyond commodity processing towards integrated ingredient solutions for food manufacturers in the region and overseas.
Commenting on the announcements made at Gulfood, Turgut Yegenaga, CEO, Al Ghurair Foods, said:
“This next phase of growth builds on the scale and foundations we have already established. By investing in advanced ingredients, integrated manufacturing and launching PURL, we are strengthening local supply chains while responding to the evolving needs of food producers across the region and international markets.”
Strategy Focused on Value and Integration
At Gulfood, Al Ghurair Foods outlined a three-part strategy to strengthen local manufacturing and support customers across bakery, snacks, convenience foods, and protein categories.
The first area focuses on turning core raw materials such as flour, oats, oils, and corn into advanced ingredient systems. These include non-GMO infant-grade maltodextrin, native starches, liquid glucose, meat coatings, speciality flours, liquid egg, and edible oils. This approach supports cleaner formulations and reduces reliance on imports.
The second area centres on moving further along the value chain through integrated manufacturing. Major investments include a $130 million non-GMO corn milling facility at KEZAD, with a capacity of 1,000 tonnes per day, alongside the newly announced $20 million meat coating plant. Together, these facilities offer end-to-end production, shorter lead times, and cost efficiency, with ingredients aligned to international quality standards.
The third area focuses on growth beyond the GCC. Al Ghurair Foods confirmed plans to expand into Southeast Asia and North Africa, supported by its non-GMO and infant-grade ingredient portfolio. The company is also reviewing acquisition opportunities to strengthen its assets and customer base in these regions.
Launch of PURL Ingredients Brand
Al Ghurair Foods also announced the launch of PURL, a dedicated ingredients brand created for food manufacturers across the GCC. The PURL portfolio includes starches, sweeteners, speciality flours, edible oils, oats, liquid egg, and meat coating systems, developed for consistent performance across different food applications.
PURL is built around purity, reliability, and functionality. The brand supports manufacturers seeking locally produced ingredients that meet clean-label standards while maintaining scale and production efficiency.
$20 Million Investment in Meat Coating Systems
One of the key announcements at Gulfood is Al Ghurair Foods’ $20 million investment in a new meat coating systems facility, marking its entry into higher-value protein ingredients.
The plant includes breadcrumb, extrusion, and blending lines, with capacity exceeding 60,000 tonnes per year. It is designed to deliver consistent coating performance and improved yields for products such as nuggets, fillets, and snacks. Integrated with the company’s starches and speciality flours, the facility supports halal-certified, clean-label solutions and cuts lead times by up to 50 per cent.
Local production improves supply reliability and reduces dependence on imports, supported by Al Ghurair Foods’ total flour production capacity of 1.5 million tonnes per year.
Together, these developments position Al Ghurair Foods as a regional supplier of value-added ingredients, supported by scale, integration, and local manufacturing. The strategy reflects a long-term focus on providing dependable, high-performance solutions for food manufacturers in growing markets.
