Almarai, one of the Middle East’s largest dairies and juice processing companies, has claimed it holds the top position in the Gulf for fresh milk with 40 per cent of the market share.

One of the company’s dairy processing facilities, which is located in Riyadh, has a capacity of 1.4 million litres of milk per day and occupies space of 45,000 sq m. Almarai has built up a herd of 45,000 livestock since it was established in 1976.
The company has also created a 2,000-cow farm in the Al Ain area of the UAE and processes milk in Abu Dhabi and Oman.
“Crop yields per hectare and milk yields per cow compare with the best in the world and our processing and distribution activities are unparalleled in the region,” it says. “The brand Almarai, which is seen to be synonymous with quality and freshness, is a household name to the Arabian people.” The company operates a fleet of 500 chilled sales vans via 28 sales depots throughout the GCC.
As well as fresh milk, the product range covers fresh laban and fresh yoghurt along with a wide range of processed cheese, butter, juices and desserts.
It was the first dairy company in the Middle East to introduce high-quality fresh-stirred fruit yoghurt and fromage frais.
“An emphasis has been placed on the expansion of the product portfolio through segmentation and extension into longlife dairy products, an area where considerable growth is envisaged and into the value-added dairy market.
“Given that the population in the region is growing at an estimated 1.5 per cent and there is a  very low, but rapidly growing per capita consumption of dairy products, the market is expected to grow quite considerably in coming years,” it said.
In the past two to three years, Almarai has introduced a range of products including orange, mango and apple fruit drinks; chocolate mousse, whipping cream, fruit laban, tomato paste, evaporated milk and sterilised cream.
“Almarai’s leadership in the dairy industry in the GCC indicates it is succeeding in its objective to provide only the finest in food quality to its customers,” a company spokesman said.
“Almarai products provide the daily food requirements and nourishment to displace the less healthy foods in one’s typical diet. Its wide range of products is able to accommodate all tastes.
The largest food exporter in Saudi Arabia, the company claims to be the first dairy farm in the world to have gained the ISO 9002 accreditation.