Poultry & Meat

BRF to Boost Abu Dhabi Production 28% by Expanding Factory

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Less than a year after investing approximately $160 million to open a 1.6-million-square-foot food processing plant in the United Arab Emirates, BRF has announced expansion plans well ahead of schedule. The factory, strategically positioned adjacent to the deep water port in the Khalifa Industrial Zone (Kizad) of Abu Dhabi, produces a wide range of value-added frozen poultry and red meat items as well as pizza products.

The additional production capacity is needed to meet both rising demand from the company’s established regional customer base and to supply growing markets in North Africa, sub-Saharan Africa and Asia.

“The expansion will increase current annual production of 72,000 tons to 100,000 tons by the end of 2016,” said Pedro Faria, global ceo of Itajaí, Brazil-headquartered BRF. “We will increase the number of lines of products at the factory to meet the various demands of each market.”

brf reference abu-dhabiBRF, which produces the Sadia, Perdigão and Qualy brands, is one of the largest food manufacturers in the world. The company employs approximately 96,000 people at factories in Brazil, Argentina, the United Kingdom, Holland and the United Arab Emirates, and operates more than 20 distribution centers.

“The Abu Dhabi factory is one of our great success stories,” said Faria. “It is a model of integration of the global supply chain, and a way to make the UAE an important export hub.”

Last year BRF acquired 75% of a distribution company in Kuwait, Al Yasra, in line with its strategy to expand business in the Middle East. In addition to supplying the retail, foodservice and industrial further processor markets of Kuwait, Al Yasra is active in other GCC territories as well as in Iraq. Its client list of major brand names includes Lamb Weston, Danone and Al Safi.

BRF exports to more than 120 countries and has market capitalization of US $14.75 billion. Its extensive product assortment ranges from Sadia oven-ready chicken in cooking bags to IQF chicken breasts, chicken cordon bleu, schnitzels, crispy chicken liver and nuggets, to pizza and lasagna. Distributed under the relaunched Perdigao brand are Brazilian-style pork sausages accented with calabresa chili pepper, and a line of Meu Menu ready meals.