Let's go for Made-in-Qatar products

Let’s go for Made-in-Qatar products

As the diplomatic crisis began imposing a trade and travel ban on Qatar, one of the main concerns of the residents of Qatar was the access to all the products that were being imported from the blockading nations. However, the crisis turned out to be an opportunity for local producers with supermarkets storing locally produced items. Now, the Ministry of Economy and Commerce (MEC), in cooperation with shopping malls and large retail outlets, has unveiled the “National Product” initiative also. Under this initiative, malls and large retail outlets are displaying local products and goods bearing the slogan “National Product” prominently to facilitate consumers’ access to these products.

Let’s get familiar with some of the Made-in-Qatar products among the commonly used ones.

#1 Fresh Fruits and Vegetables

The local farms in Qatar are now producing fresh fruits and vegetables such as cucumbers, tomatoes, mushrooms, and more. You can find the fresh local produce at the wholesale market, as well local convenient stores and supermarkets. Products from various greenhouses of Qatari Natural Agriculture (Agrico) are also available in the market. Agrico has two green houses with a combined area of 40,000 sq m for cultivating vegetables, eight more for the cultivation of fruits and herbs, and another 4000 sq m facility exclusively for the cultivation of mushrooms. In addition to fruits and vegetables Agrico provides locally produced meat through another brand, Qatar Meat Production Co.

#2 Dairy & Poultry

Dandy is one of the local favorite dairy brands in Qatar. They offer local fresh and quality dairy products, which include milk, yogurt, laban and ice-cream. The ISO 9001:2000 certified company also provides a variety of different fruit juices.

Ghadeer is another famous Qatari brand that also offers dairy products, as well as juices. The Arab Qatari Company for Dairy Production (Alban Ghadeer) was established in Qatar in 1985 as a joint venture between the Arab Company for Livestock Development (ACOLID), the State of Qatar, and Gulf Investment Corporation. With a cow farm consisting of more than 1,200 cows and an agriculture farm of around 1,200 hectares, all of Ghadeer’s products are made of fresh cow milk.

A subsidiary of Asak Group, Azba Farm for Chicken and Quail Birds consists of local farms – quail, broiler and duck, producing fresh and frozen quail, duck and chicken, as well as quail and chicken eggs. Their chickens are domestic including Baladi, Hindi and Fayomi.

Other local Qatari poultry and dairy distributors include Arab Qatari Poultry Co., and Widam.

#3 Water

Rayyan Pure Natural Mineral Water is one of the most popular brands in Qatar . They are one of largest bottled water suppliers in Qatar. The prduct is not desalinated seawater and is drawn directly from a natural aquifer. It is bottled at source in an unspoiled stretch of desert 60 km north of Doha.

Safa International Co. is another local water supplier that provides five gallon pure drinking water bottles for commercial and personal use. With a distribution network spanning the length and breadth of Qatar, they also deliver straight to your door.

#4 Breads and Bakery Products

Qatar is home to large producers of wheat, as well as a variety of baked goods. Qatar Flour Mills (QFM) provides a wide range of premium food products, mostly in the flour and wheat product categories like flour, pasta, etc. Established in 1969, QFM is a public limited company with the biggest modern manufacturing facility and technology.

QBake is a famous brand in Qatar that provides fresh baked goods. Launched in 2009 by Umm Said Bakery, which provides local bakery products, Qbake has become a well recognised brand name in the market. They supply products to the grocery stores, supermarkets, restaurants, and institutional buyers like catering companies, construction worker camps, schools, fast food outlets and food service outlets. They are the largest producer of Arabic bread (Khubs) and Lebanese bread in the country. Qbake also provides sliced breads, buns and rolls, croissants, cakes and muffins, swiss rolls and more.

Al Raha Bakeries, a subsidiary of Asak Group, have branches all across Qatar, with a presence in most shopping malls. The bakery offers more than 70 products including sandwiches, croissants, buns, samouli, cakes and other bread products.

#5 Chocolates, Sweets and Snacks

KaafeChocolaiter Made in Qatar

Kaafe Chocolatier produces and sells premium handmade Belgian chocolates and related products, while holding on to Qatari culture and heritage in the flavours of its chocolates. The company offers gourmet chocolates, truffles, chocolate dipped fruits, sweets, shakes, wedding and party favours and other items such as gift boxes, chocolate trays, and corporate gifts. Kaafe produces seasonal and limited-edition chocolates with special packaging for all major occasions and events.

A subsidiary of Asak Group, Al Qaseem Dates is one of the oldest dates’ stores in Qatar and famous for its quality products. The company has more than 200 products. Munah Food Stuff Factory, another subsidiary of Asak Group provides local snack products including crisps, chocolates and candies. In addition, Munah provides aluminium foil products such as rolls and containers. Munah’s crisps, SAY, are produced in many flavours such as cheese, chilli and lemon, and ketchup. Their chocolate products include Silinco chocolate-coated cornflakes, and A&M chocolate peanuts.

#6 Household Items

Integrated Paper Products (IPP) along with Napico are the largest Qatar based suppliers of tissue paper, toilet rolls, kitchen rolls, etc.

The Qatar Detergent company offers a wide variety of fabric care, kitchen care, personal care and home cleaning products. All of these products are branded as “Pearl” on the shelves at supermarkets and stores.

Art of Pottery has been offering pottery since 2000 and its objective is to provide custom-made or readymade products such as murals, furniture, lighting, custom-made tiles, tablewares, vases, accessories and decorative plates. Their products include murals, majlis, pottery, tableware, vases, customised art works.

Qatar Industrial Foam & Furnishing is the leading company in Qatar in manufacturing sponge mattresses and cushions. It also has a section for the manufacture of furniture and upholstery. Recently, for the first time in Qatar, the company produced a highly elastic sponge for upholstery and memory foam for medical mattresses.

So, Contrary to popular belief, Qatar is home to a wide variety of locally-made products and services. Next time you shop, look for a “National Product” tag.