Two million square meter Food and Beverage Park at Jafza to facilitate state-of-the art food processing and packaging

Jebel Ali Free Zone Authority (Jafza), has announced that its newly unveiled, two million square meter, Food and Beverage Park located at South Zone, will offer state-of-the art facilities for companies involved in food processing and packaging. The announcement was made during Jafza’s participation in the 10th Gulf Food, Hotel and Equipment Exhibition, being held from February 20 to 23, 2005.

“Food industry is a thriving sector in Dubai especially since the last decade, owing to the remarkable surge in tourist inflow from all parts of the world. There is a huge market for food and food-related products in the Gulf, and Dubai which is the hub for the region’s hospitality industry, is home to a growing number of international food manufacturers, importers, traders, hotels, caterers and other related entities,” said Walid Hareb, Senior Business Development Manager, Jafza.

“The Food and Beverage Park has been launched to cater to the increasing number of companies in the food business, who are establishing their presence in the region. The Park will be built to the highest international specifications and regulations, to enable the manufacturing, distribution and packaging of all kinds of foods,” added Hareb.

The various facilities offered to companies at the Food and Beverage Park include, on-site water treatment plant operators, cool and cold stores, specialist test labs, employee housing, a choice of varied plot sizes, Dubai Municipality Office and support from the Jafza Environment and Health Department.

The Park will have factory units meant for high capacity food processing and packaging activities, besides offering warehouses in various sizes as per the company’s requirement. The adjoining areas of the Food and Beverage Park are occupied by potential suppliers, which will lead to smoother functioning. Moreover, there are several companies in the Jebel Ali Free Zone that currently provide raw materials to companies in the food industry. The Park is situated 10 minutes away from the proposed Jebel Ali airport, which will be the largest air-sea logistics and transportation center of its kind in the Middle East.

Jafza works in close partnership with the companies that set up operations in the zone, by providing high level networking platforms, publicity and business matching opportunities.

“Jafza currently houses over 450 multinationals that are into manufacturing, trading or distribution of food and food related products. Leading multinationals like Unilever, Cadbury, Nestle, Master Foods and others, already have a well-established presence in the free zone. Most companies at Jafza felt a strong need for a specialised food park at the free zone and moreover, many leading international firms have already registered at the Food and Beverage Park,” added Hareb.

Commenting on Jafza’s participation in the Gulf Food, Hotel and Equipment Exhibition, Abdalla Al Banna, Marketing Manager, Jafza, said, “The Gulf Food Exhibition is the leading show of its kind in the Middle East and we hope to attract exhibitors who are part of the booming food business in the region. We have already gained a lot from our participation in the event, as our range of facilities that will be offered to companies at the Food and Beverage Park, generated a lot of interest at the show. This is an ideal platform for us to interact and network with other high profile participants.” 

More than 1,300 manufacturers and distributors from around the world, involved in the food and hospitality business, in addition to buyers from over 70 countries are taking part in the Gulf Food, Hotel and Equipment Exhibition being held at Dubai International Exhibition Center.