FGV Sweetens the MENA market with Launch of SAJI Creamers at Gulfood 2024

DUBAI – FGV Holdings Berhad (FGV) further expands its footprint in the Food & Beverages (F&B) segment in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) market with the introduction of two new food products under its renowned SAJI brand; SAJI Sweetened Creamer and SAJI Evaporated Creamer.

SAJI Sweetened Creamer offers a simple and delicious way to sweeten and enhance the flavor of coffee, tea, or smoothies without additional sugar or flavorings. Featuring a single-serve option in 40g sachets, alongside larger packaging sizes of 390g and 500g, it is crafted from milk solids, sugar, and palm oil, offering a lower-calorie and lower-fat alternative.

Complementing this offering is an unsweetened option, SAJI Evaporated Creamer that is available in 170g and 380g packaging. This product adds a luscious texture and richer taste to beverages like coffee, tea, and hot chocolate, elevating their flavor profiles to new heights.

With an extended shelf life, both creamers serve as pantry essentials, ensuring availability whenever needed and minimising waste by eliminating the need for refrigeration. Furthermore, their versatility extends beyond beverages, as they serve as indispensable ingredients in a myriad of recipes, including desserts, baked goods, and savory dishes, offering consumers boundless culinary possibilities.

H.E. Datuk Seri Ahmad Fadil Bin Shamsuddin, Malaysia’s Ambassador to the UAE, Said about the Malaysian and UAE trade relation and economic relations and participation on Gulfood 2024:” UAE is a number two after Saudi, in trade cooperation, and then in terms of world ranking UAE is number 17. In terms of global and be regards to the trade relations this this era is the fantastic trade relations between the two countries because of the head of state, with designers, precedent and also our prime minister, and also the king with regards to the bilateral relations upcoming WTO, which will be held in Abu Dhabi next week.

Malaysia is supposed to finalise on CEPA, as it is a comprehensive partnership agreement, whereby he will be another good platform for Malaysia to expand his trade relations through are going to sign or to announce that will to be finalised. We see both sides and agreed and then they’re assigning could be after the WTO which will be agreed by the two parties.

“Terms of trade are increasing between the two countries for the first quarter it shows the increase of 20% between the two countries but last year last year we have it period, 8 Billion US dollar US dollars, and then last year also Prime Minister of Malaysia visited UAE that was in October and during the visit, Prime Minister and Minister Dr. Sultan announced about the investment to Abu Dhabi of about 8 billion which is equivalent to 10 gigawatt us renewable energy and recently, Minister of investment and trade Malaysia also signed an agreement with the Minister of investment UAE for establishment of investment in data centre to up to around 500 megawatt”, H.E.  added

H.E. Tan Sri Rastam Mohd Isa, Chairman of FGV, said about FGV participation in Gulfood 2024:” is it is certainly very important, I think by now this is the biggest event of its kind, anywhere around the world has overtaken some of the other events, other food exhibition events. And for us, this is very important. As you know, we just launched these products the creamers which is something that we think will find a market here in the Middle East and North Africa as well as other parts of the world.

He addes:”FGV is a company that is an agri business company, we produce palm oil, but at the same time we have our food products. So this is very important for us, and the launching today, hopefully will be the beginning of over most sustained participation for the future, as well as sustained trade relation for us with the UAE as well as with other countries and it’s.

He said:” the first time to launch this project and Middle East market or and this is the first time in fact these are this time we are launching it outside Malaysia outside”

He mentioned that FGV export, largely palm oil and I think the largest is Saudi Arabia, the UAE and then the other markets.

The product was unveiled at Gulfood 2024, the world’s largest food exhibition held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from 19 to 23 February. It was officially launched by the H.E. Dato’ Seri Ahmad Fadil Shamsuddin, Ambassador of Malaysia to the United Arab Emirates. Also present, Dato’ Sri Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Chairman of Federal Land Development Authority (FELDA), Tan Sri Rastam Mohd Isa, Chairman of FGV, Malaysian Government Officials as well as Board Member and Senior Management of FELDA and FGV.

“We are proud to introduce SAJI Sweetened Creamer and SAJI Evaporated Creamer to the MENA market. In the fast-paced MENA region, convenience is key. Both products combine high-quality ingredients with convenience and versatility, catering to the evolving needs of today’s consumers. By simplifying the process of measuring and mixing, they’re perfect for busy individuals and those with on-the-go lifestyles. With these two additions, it brings the total to three after we launched ADELA Margarine at the same event last year. We are confident that they will resonate with audiences throughout the region and solidify FGV’s presence as a trusted food company,” said Tan Sri Rastam.

H.E. Shammim Azad Kamruzaman, Officer-in-Charge for Consumer Products Division of FGV Holdings Berhad said:” the screen products are actually SAJI crema and psyche you’ve ever to remember, this product is really made available in the mission market. That is brand new, Malika is the top five brand in Malaysia. So now it’s really timely that we wanted to launch this global performance. So, we have to launch this in Google for because of the exposure that we get in terms of queries in terms of, you know, a lot of queries from the tree and so on. So these products will be available. Yeah. By this year in terms of any queries that comes to us, and we will, we will actually manage the queries. So it’s really our main target is definitely both minimarket especially in primary to Africa, as well as Middle East to all the GCC countries.

So, it’s important to be participate at Gulfood to showcase the product and how it’s correct because grapher is actually a very strategic location in terms of exposure. it is the best platform to get all the industry and again, we have a lot of our current customers which is buying psyche at your breath, which is cooking oil, that we can actually leverage onto pushing our creamer for this purpose.

FGV is fully committed to meeting the surging demand for quality, nourishing and affordable products in the market through its various consumer food brands such as SAJI, ADELA, SERI PELANGI, GULA PRAI, LADANG’57 and BRIGHT COW. Being one of the key food players in Malaysia, FGV aims to play a significant role in the country’s national food security agenda by bringing high-quality and nutritious food products at affordable prices to all Malaysians and in achieving our vision in delivering sustainable foods and agriproducts to the world.

“Expanding from our successful foothold in Malaysia’s creamer market since 2010, we are excited to embark on a journey into the vibrant MENA region. Our deep understanding of product penetration

 

 

strategies within this category, coupled with our unwavering commitment to sustainability, positions us well for international expansion. We plan to tap into FGV’s established reputation and forge strategic partnerships with local distributors to export our products across the MENA region,” said Dato’ Nazrul Mansor, Group Chief Executive Officer of FGV.

He added, “Rooted in a deep commitment to sustainability, our company aligns its business practices with globally recognised initiatives such as the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as we are subjected to increasingly stringent global sustainability standards. In FGV, we believe that sustainability comes first, profit and growth will follow.”

During Gulfood 2023, FGV unveiled ADELA Margarine, a multi-purpose margarine made from the finest palm oils and enriched with 9 vitamins. Since its debut, ADELA Margarine has garnered interest, sparking numerous inquiries and fostering positive discussions about its attributes. These early signs of interest indicate a promising future for ADELA Margarine, hinting at its imminent establishment in the market.

The demand for Malaysian F&B products in the MENA region has been growing its popularity. In 2023, Malaysia’s exports of processed food recorded at RM30.3 billion from RM28.4 billion the previous year. The MENA market is a large and diverse region with a rapidly growing population and a rapidly expanding economy, making it an attractive destination for businesses looking to expand their customer base.

FGV is a leading global agribusiness company based in Malaysia and is one of the largest producers of Crude Palm Oil (CPO) in the world. The Group is the biggest off-taker of smallholders’ fresh fruit bunches (FFB) in Malaysia by procuring FFB from FELDA settlers and independent smallholders at a price set by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), contributing to 70 percent of our total processed FFB. FGV’s commitment extends beyond business as the Group continues to fulfil its social obligations to support local communities and contribute to nation-building.

FGV is present in Asia, the Middle East, North America and Europe with a workforce of over 45,000 people. It operates in various divisions including Plantation, Sugar, Oils & Fats, Integrated Farming, Consumer Products, as well as Logistics & Support.