Ymakan is a British owned, Dubai based Export Development company that provides comprehensive ‘feet on the ground’ representation for global food and beverage brands that aspire to enter the GCC region or are already in market and require more focus to accelerate their sales and build their brand profile. Our aim is to fast-track export success and market growth for our brands, with transparency, clever strategy planning, real time advice and brand representation.
Ymakan offer a range of services within retail, foodservice, and manufacturing channels. Strategy plans and continual brand representation form the foundation for key-account direct sales, distributor selection and management, retail in-store marketing and product activations and through the Ymakan specialist media division, national marketing campaigns and bespoke event production.
We represent a mix of Food and Beverage brands ‘acting as their feet on the ground’ in the region, with a focus on, but not limited to, health and wellness, vegan, organic, and free-from areas. Our partners include food and beverage brands from Europe, Americas, SE Asia, and the Middle East.
Ymakan are the preferred suppliers for various Government entities and Trade Commissions across the globe as we provide our services for the Middle East to the Food and Beverage brands in their respective home countries, either on an individual basis as their dedicated in country Brand Ambassador, or through the creation and delivery of B2B and B2C industry leading events and networking programs to showcase their food and drink offerings to the region’s leading buyers.
Ymakan Media Solutions, our specialist media division are partnered with all the leading ‘Foodie’ and ‘Health & Wellbeing’ media platforms in both the consumer and HORECA sector in the UAE (with GCC digital and SM reach), radio networks and generic news & lifestyle platforms, giving our customers between 40-70% off Industry standard rates. We can create tailored PR campaigns across the GCC, Europe, India and China in both targeted media and national press. Our network of social media influencers spans a variety of specialties and mass audience levels, from micro to local celebrity. Our events, tradeshows and sponsorships team can create engaging bespoke events for you, or we can tie you into any of the major consumer & fitness or sporting events and tradeshows with either straight sponsorships or interactive ‘live’ chef demos with your products, cooking shows & competitions, educational pieces, and nutritional speakers. We also provide videography, photography, trained promotors and brand reps, content writing, exhibition and stand design and build, ad design and branding for the events and tradeshows. We are also able to offer in-depth Market Insights reporting using a mix of Market intelligence through our dedicated AI platform partners and real time ‘in country’ material.
Meet The Founders
With my English/ Egyptian heritage, a passion for the food industry, 20 years in the corporate world and more than 15 years of living and working in the Middle East and Asia Pacific, I help companies gain a ‘competitive advantage’ when looking to establish and grow in the Middle East F&B market.
With a deep understanding of the commercial and cultural nuances of doing business in the region that facilitate success in F&B, I have spent one and a half decades earning the trust and respect of key stakeholders across the industry.
I combine passion and creativity with a strong work ethic, drive for success and sheer determination to represent our clients, which has helped to ensure that Ymakan has been the natural choice for multiple global brands to deliver market entry, growth, sales and distribution solutions that surpass client and partner expectations.
For those of you who know me already, will know how hard it has been for to keep this bio short! Monologues – A defect of mine in some ways – A huge bonus in others. Put it this way, if its your brand I am looking after, it will be cared for, sold and managed with the utmost passion and attention to detail…
I think it’s important when thinking about entrusting your business into the hands and guidance of another, to get a personal feel for them, the people that run the business and the people working within it. In business we sometimes forget that we all came from the same place and most are striving for the same things, albeit we have different skills and interests.
These days, we have the exciting luxury of being able to work with people across the globe, sometimes without ever shaking hands. So, in case we end up building great success together but never get to shake hands, I hope you can pick up from this a little bit about, where I came from, who I am and my experiences so far, that hopefully help brands across the globe achieve worldwide success.