Established in the UAE in the 1970s, Al Islami Foods started as a small grocery store called the Dubai Co-operative Society. Before long, it was joined by a second, larger store in Karama, Dubai. By 1979, there were numerous outlets across the emirate, including its Mirdif hypermarket, which would act as the blueprint for future locations.
Still under its former name, the company bolstered its reputation throughout the 1980s with the introduction of several innovative concepts, including a ladies-only store and a specialised halal butchery.
The move into food production continued with the launch of the Co-op Islami, the company’s first processing plant, which specialised in halal meat, burgers, frankfurters, and more. Another plant followed in 1991 to keep up with demand, and by 2006, the company had rebranded as Al Islami Foods to export goods beyond the UAE to Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Libya, the Maldives and Mauritius.
Just over ten years later, in 2017, Al Islami Foods opened its largest food manufacturing factory – a 10,000-square-metre state-of-the-art facility in Dubai Investment Park. The new site boosted production capacity by over 150%, reaching 17,000 metric tons per year and allowing the company to serve its growing global customer base.
Today, Al Islami Foods holds a reputation as the UAE’s premier halal food company and is one of the largest food distributors in the region. Its vast and diverse portfolio of products, from meat and seafood to vegetables, kids’ menu items and international ingredients, is trusted by famous chefs, culinary experts, foodies and home cooks alike.
