Greenhouse Foodstuff Trading, a leading food service and retail company in the GCC for over four decades, has underscored the growing consumer demand for quality breakfast products. This demand is particularly pronounced as hotel breakfast buffets face increasing competition amidst rising hotel stay costs as consumers look to match price with the quality of products available.
According to insights from TripAdvisor’s TripIndex Breakfast, 91% of the customers interviewed said they prefer an in-hotel breakfast, and 83% said breakfast service is essential for a positive hotel experience.
In response to the market demand for breakfast products, Greenhouse Foodstuff Trading has strategically partnered with a diverse range of suppliers from Europe, the USA, the Middle East, and Asia. This has established the company as the distributor of choice for the region’s hotel industry, fine and casual dining restaurants, airlines, and other F&B-related venues.
Daniel Chidiac, CEO of Greenhouse Foodstuff Trading, said: “Breakfast products are an essential part of our offering, with 60% of our portfolio served on the breakfast buffet of hotels in this region.
“As the statistics highlight, breakfast is one of the most important elements of a hotel stay, so to not only meet but exceed consumer demands, we have focused on securing the finest products and ingredients from around the world to ensure our clients have everything they need to provide the best possible service to their guests.”
A cornerstone of the company’s offering is sourcing and securing innovative new products. These include GMO and pesticides-free flour from French supplier Grands Moulins de Paris, which, thanks to the quality, can help yield more than 26% the number of baguettes compared to a competing brand, resulting in a more cost-effective product and better quality.
The company is also an importer of authentic French croissants and pastries by Belgium’s Banquet D’Or, which has created the unique patented Bake’Up technology which allows the product to go from freezer to oven while maintaining the authenticity and traditional elements of French pastry. The product is also renowned for its efficiency, requiring no proving, defrosting or glazing and at 60% smaller than pre-proofed products, it also ensures savings on storage and logistics.
Another important element of the company’s ethos is providing hotels with support and innovative breakfast buffet set-ups. This was most recently emphasized by eliminating the small 28g jam jars found on many breakfast buffets in favour of larger jars that are more sustainable and cost-effective.
“The innovation lies not only in the product itself but also in the approach to presenting it. It’s about demonstrating the added value of our product, urging and educating our audience to think beyond the conventional. There are other ways to present things, making it look better, more appealing, more sustainable, and ultimately more cost-effective,” added Chidiac.
It’s not just product innovation that has ensured the company remains at the forefront of the market. Working with the Emirates Culinary Guild (ECG) and other local and regional chefs through the company’s Greenhouse Innovation Centre, regular training is dedicated to those within the industry seeking innovations, techniques and recipes. Led by Meilleur Ouvrier de France (MOF) and world-famous chefs, the Centre is dedicated to revealing the latest industry trends.
The company has also underscored its commitment to sustainability by installing solar panels throughout its buildings in the region, saving 33% on energy bills. It is also committed to introducing electric trucks to its fleet when it is logistically possible.
These latest innovations were showcased at an event hosted by Greenhouse Foodstuff Trading, in partnership with ECG, at Zero Gravity. The event, which took place on 15 May, featured a range of products, including dairy, cheese, bakery, pastries and pastry ingredients, as well as leading premium brands, including Elle & Vire creams and butters, St Dalfour jams, Julius Meinl coffee, and Koita milk, amongst others.
