WALOVI taps food-as-medicine trend to grow in Saudi and beyond
China’s WALOVI is seeking growth globally in markets from the Middle East to Africa for its traditional herbal teas
WALOVI has signed distribution agreements with partners in 10 countries across South America, Africa and Central Asia as the Chinese herbal tea brand expands into emerging markets.
The expansion follows WALOVI’s launch of its International Cans at the Fortune Global Forum in Saudi Arabia as part of efforts to strengthen its presence in the Middle East.
The firm identified Saudi Arabia’s strong consumer purchasing power and role as a regional Gulf hub as strategic advantages for further expansion.
ASEAN poised as next halal growth market amid Middle East turmoil
South East Asia has all the parts in place to emerge as the key halal growth market for food amid the Middle East conflict — but will the region be able to grasp this opportunity?
The Middle East as a region is often recognised as a global halal centre due to the majority of countries in this region being Muslim, from Saudi Arabia to the United Arab Emirates to Oman.
However, if going by sheer population size, the country with the largest Muslim population is actually not located in this region, but in South East Asia — namely Indonesia, which houses at least 205 million Muslims, representing some 87% of the overall population.
Iran conflict drains the colour from snack packs
Calbee’s decision to strip colour from its packaging amid naphtha shortages is an early warning that the Iran conflict is beginning to fracture the petrochemical supply chains underpinning the global food industry
The Japanese snack giant said it would temporarily simplify the packaging of 14 products, including its flagship potato chips and Kappa Ebisen snacks, in response to shortages affecting petroleum-derived raw materials used in printing ink and packaging production. The disruption has been linked to instability in Middle Eastern supply chains following the escalation of the Iran conflict and mounting pressure on shipping routes through the Strait of Hormuz.
The snack barometer: The Iran conflict and the limits of consumer resilience
Food companies are becoming some of the clearest observers of the economic fallout from the Iran conflict as fuel volatility, inflation fears and changing spending habits begin reshaping behaviour across the supermarket aisle
Supermarket buyers rarely talk like foreign policy analysts, but they know exactly when geopolitical tension starts bleeding into everyday spending. Fuel prices rise and shopping habits shift surprisingly fast.
Long before economists revise forecasts or central banks start talking publicly about inflation again, food companies can usually tell when consumers are getting nervous.
Iran at war: What food and beverage needs to know
Israel and US attacks on Iran have long-lasting implications for global food and drink industries. Here’s the latest
the consequences are already being felt across the supply chain. Rising oil and gas prices are pushing up production costs, pressure on petrochemical supplies is threatening plastic packaging, key imports and exports face disruption, and fertiliser inputs essential to growing food ingredients are also at risk.
We are following developments closely in this rolling coverage of what the Iran war means for the food and beverage industry.