FOOD INTERNATIONAL

A huge emphasis on organic, vegan and vegetarian food along with an increased focus on easy-to-use, convenient packaging of food items were the standout features of the recent Gulfood Food and Hospitality Show in Dubai, according to Food International CEO Adel Yousef.

The intrepid traveller was bursting with his hallmark enthusiasm when he arrived back in Auckland this week – laden with samples. He hit the ground running and as usual, was straight back into work reporting to staff on exciting new products and global developments in the food industry.

Adel has attended the Gulfood exhibition in Dubai many times. As the world’s largest annual food and hospitality show, many of the major movers and shakers on the international food scene (more than 97,000 visitors this time with 120 countries exhibiting) routinely make the trip.

“The movement which really stood out was the healthy food brigade with so many organic, vegan and vegetarian options on show. I was particularly intrigued by the 100% vegan sausages. Made in tofu, they were sold as plain or spicy and very tasty.”  (I can see my vegan friends salivating as I type …)

And of course, with Food International’s passion for cheese and being a market leader with our YOLO sliced cheeses here, he was fascinated with the selections on offer and how packaging was geared to ease of consumption.

Adel liked also the new concepts of including slices of three different types of cheese in one pack, as well as the new concept of sliced blue vein cheeses, while Feta, Emmental and other varieties were all perfectly cubed for easy use. With these products, you could slap up a classy cheeseboard in minutes!

Other cheese-based products included natural cheese spreads with flavours such as green pepper, cumin and herbs. The snack food market (or mezze as they’d say in the Middle East) was particularly outstanding with lots of new ideas.  You can now buy your olives in hang sell vacuum packs of 150 or 200gms and once again, up to three varieties in one pack.

 Adel is now in the negotiating stage with suppliers. As for me, as a reluctant cook and Unlikely Food Blogger, I can’t wait to see the new products coming in. They’ll suit me down to the ground – healthy and easy to use. Watch this space.

Watch out too for some recipe ideas with YOLO cheeses and news from Egypt. Adel has just been back in Cairo for the first time in seven years (and a mammoth eat-a-thon) and in blogs to follow I’ll tell you about changes in the food industry there.

Introducing Robyn

You’ll be seeing my face and (hopefully) reading my blogs on this website on a regular basis. I’m the wife of CEO, Adel Yousef –  a sleeping partner of the business in more ways than  one.

My friends say I’m a “very unlikely food blogger” as I really don’t like cooking. It’s Adel who is the clever one in the kitchen in our family, while I’m a writer and prefer to be in front of a computer rather than a stove. But, like many of us, I do claim to be a dedicated “foodie” and Adel’s great passion for the global food industry does inspire me.

Being part of a very large Egyptian family for nearly 44 years has also had a profound effect. They discuss food as much as we talk about the weather here in New Zealand.

I also have become more interested in Food International since we introduced our amazing range of European cheeses, YOLO. Our son, Khaled, was responsible for much of the creativity and the exciting launch of YOLO, which gathers in popularity every day.

We now have more than 50 products under the YOLO label in retail and food service. And we will continue to add to the range.

Adel is attending Gulfood in Dubai next week. It’s the world’s largest food, beverages and hospitality exhibition, which usually attracts nearly 100,000 visitors from all over the world. He’ll be looking out for exciting new lines to include in the Food International repertoire.

I know he has vegan cheese on his shopping list and is keen to expand our range of Middle Eastern ‘mezze’ style items for easy entertaining.

He’ll definitely return with some exciting and innovative products. Watch this space. And in the meantime, make sure you get in to your local supermarket and stock up on our YOLO Halloumi. Sales are sensational!

The “Food Mule” returns from the last Salon de Gourmets Food Show in Spain.

18/04/18

We’ve been flat-out at Food International redesigning our website – we want it to inform and entertain you – make it fizz with fun and info so you want to check in with us again and again. 

And, of course, we want to convince you to try our wonderful products from your local supermarket and if you don’t find them there, we depend on you to make a real song and a dance until they reach your corner of New Zealand.

I’ll soon be taking off with Adel to the Salon de Gourmets Food Show in Madrid, Spain. We’ve both been to these vibrant, snazzy expos before and  Adel gets really excited about all the new products he’ll be bringing back home to sell. 

Leaving the first signs of the winter behind here for warmer weather, combined with the possibility of serious shoe shopping (Manolo Blahnik, anyone?), I’m the subject of serious envy from my friends. 

I really enjoy travelling with Adel but there is one weighty problem – the samples we have to bring back. I long to travel lightly, but instead I’m like a well-laden packhorse or “food mule” as my mates call me. 

Adel travels all over the world for his food business, and every time, he returns with a huge assortment of samples. Even more when the “mule” joins him. I reckon I’ve earned the t-shirt now after countless expo trips. 

He’s been exporting and importing for 30 years now – products ranging from Indian spices through to Lebanese Sumac, vanilla beans from Papua New Guinea and European cheeses.

It’s a rare occasion when we arrive back in the country without having to declare some exotic foodstuffs, and most of the staff in the Ag and Fisheries division at Auckland Airport know him well by now. 

The last time (see picture) we went to Salon de Gourmets, we travelled via Guangzhou on China Southern Airlines, with a very healthy luggage allowance. This photograph was taken at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris on our way home. Those bags you see weren’t the result of serial shopping –  they’re crammed with samples (“This will go so well in New Zealand”) and boxes of pamphlets.

Yes, that’s how importers roll and Food International has been built on the relationships formed and the products discovered at these various shows.

We’ll soon be spending time with our suppliers in Spain and Food International’s roving reporter – aka “Food Mule” – plans to post interesting stories and ‘delicious’ photos for you along the way. 

My shoe shopping looks to be curtailed this trip, as the airline we’re using doesn’t have a generous weight allowance. Funny that, but we’ll definitely be bringing those exciting new food lines home for you in our bags. 

Kiwis are loving our Spanish Sherry Vinegars, Manchego and other cheeses as well as moreish fruit pastes. Please email Adel (adel@foodinternational.co.nz) if there are any other Spanish products you’d like to see on your local supermarket shelves.

ADIOS

From the East to West we have the best.

Enjoy the taste flavours of the Middle East right here in NZ!

Food International has a long history sourcing hard to find ingredients and we have a soft spot for the Middle Eastern delicacies.

We work VERY hard to bring these flavours to your table.

Please look on our products page for more information about these products.