Dubai hosted a sold-out industry gathering bringing together senior leaders across the UAE’s food and beverage ecosystem, as participants discussed what it takes for homegrown brands to grow into internationally competitive businesses.
The Hot Take convenes leaders across the value chain
The event, titled The Hot Take, was organized by Idea Atelier founder Seda Solmaz and held at Avant Garde Concept Store in Al Quoz. More than 75 leaders from manufacturing, retail, innovation, entrepreneurship, and investment attended, reflecting the sector’s growing focus on scaling beyond local demand.
While the specific formats varied across sessions, the agenda centered on shared practical themes, including entrepreneurship, product and process innovation, scalability, food security, and the future of the UAE’s F&B industry.
Key themes: scaling, collaboration, and the support gap
A recurring focus of the evening was the need for stronger collaboration across the ecosystem to support founders at multiple stages of growth. For emerging brands, the transition from an initial product concept to consistent manufacturing, distribution readiness, and sustainable retail expansion is often where bottlenecks appear.
Participants also highlighted the role of “ecosystem” design, meaning more coordinated access to infrastructure, expertise, and growth support, rather than isolated interventions. The discussions pointed to a broader industry question: how to turn early traction into repeatable, scalable operations.
Program highlights: keynote, founder spotlights, and investment discussion
The program included a keynote delivered by Saleh Lootah, Chairman of the UAE Food and Beverage Manufacturing Business Group. The session was followed by founder spotlights featuring brands including Maraqah, Raw Grow, Tabchilli, Coco Bites, and Tapenaz, offering a snapshot of the types of companies seeking to establish long-term growth paths.
The event also included a fireside chat with Emirates Growth Fund, referencing its first food and beverage investment in the UAE, CarniStore. In a sector increasingly shaped by funding cycles and commercialization capabilities, such discussions underscore how investment is not only about capital, but also about helping companies navigate scaling requirements.
What the panel discussion added
A panel discussion brought together perspectives from large FMCG manufacturing, ingredients, startups, and retailers. The format was designed to foster a two-way exchange with audience participation, allowing attendees to weigh opportunities alongside operational challenges faced by emerging brands.
Rather than focusing exclusively on market expansion tactics, the conversation also covered the structural elements required to compete internationally, including consistency in product quality, reliability of supply, and the commercial readiness needed for broader distribution.
Why this matters for the UAE’s F&B sector
For the UAE, the ambition to build globally recognized food and beverage companies ties into broader economic priorities, including industrial capacity, local value creation, and the resilience of supply chains. Events like The Hot Take can be read as a signal of where industry attention is converging, namely the “how” of scaling, not just entrepreneurship in general.
As more brands move from local popularity to larger-scale manufacturing and distribution, the industry’s ability to coordinate support will likely become a competitive differentiator. Ecosystem collaboration can also reduce fragmentation, helping founders identify the right partners earlier, whether that involves production capacity, ingredient sourcing, regulatory readiness, or retail commercialization.
Next steps
Organizers said they plan to continue building The Hot Take as a platform for industry dialogue and practical collaboration, with the stated aim of supporting the next generation of food and beverage brands emerging from the UAE.
While the event provides an overview of industry priorities and ongoing workstreams, it also highlights a practical reality for founders: scaling typically requires alignment across multiple stakeholders, from manufacturers and retailers to investors and innovation specialists.
About Idea Atelier UAE
Idea Atelier UAE is a boutique innovation consultancy working with food and beverage brands on innovation workshops, strategic consulting, startup advisory services, and commercial innovation support. The consultancy positions its approach around supporting brands from ideation through execution.
