Gulfood 2024

Event Overview

Gulfood is the world’s largest annual food and beverage trade show, held every February at the Dubai World Trade Centre. In its 30th edition from February 17–21, 2025, Gulfood attracted over 5,500 exhibitors from 129 countries and more than 100,000 trade visitors. The event’s focus this year was “The Next Frontier in Food,” emphasizing sustainability, nutrition, and resilient supply chains. Gulfood spans six massive halls, each dedicated to segments like fresh produce, dairy, gourmet, health, food technology, and supply-chain services. In addition to the expo floor, Gulfood offers keynote forums on global trends, live chef demonstrations, and networking lounges for high-level B2B discussions.

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AGI Holding’s Participation

AGI Holding occupied a 36 m² multi-brand pavilion, carefully divided into three dedicated zones:

Oyster Mushroom Farm: A central display featured live mycelium cultures in transparent cases, compost substrate tactile samples, and fresh oyster mushroom produce. AGI Holding’s representatives explained lab-to-tent cultivation and distributed brochures detailing yield projections (4 harvests/year).

Allezz Clean-Label Sauces: Shelves stocked with pesto, balsamic, and specialty sauces, emphasizing “no additives, no refined sugars” on backlit panels. A live cooking station hosted twice-daily “Taste of Allezz” sessions, where chefs prepared quick recipes for hotel and restaurant buyers.

Royal B Georgian Honey: A rustic wood display showcased honey jars (linden, chestnut, acacia) with Greek- and English-language labeling, highlighting HACCP and ISO certifications. Interactive QR codes on labels linked directly to AR content showing the Kvareli honey houses and beekeeper interviews.

AGI Holding’s senior leadership (CEO and Head of Agriculture) attended every day, personally welcoming key GCC buyers (Carrefour, Lulu, Spinneys, Al Ain Farms) for one-on-one discussions.

Day 1 – Booth Launch & VIP Preview:

• Opened with a breakfast briefing for 15 top UAE distributors hosted by AGI Holding’s CEO, introducing the concept of vertical integration (lab, farm, packaging).
• Press conference at 11:00 AM featuring AGI Holding's Chairman on “Sustainability in Food Supply Chains,” with regional food media present.

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Day 2 – Chef Demonstrations & Panel Participation:

• Two “Oyster Mushroom Mastery” sessions led by renowned local chef Aisha Al Omani, showcasing quick mushroom stir-fries and functional soups.
• AGI Holding’s CEO joined a headline panel on “Traceability in Gulf Food Supply Chains,” detailing AGI Holding’s QR-code approach for Royal B honey from hive to shelf.
• Hosted private buyer tours for 10 procurement heads from major hotels (Emirates Palace, Atlantis The Palm) to discuss customized product offerings.

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Day 3 – Networking Lounge & Innovation Zone:

• Invited 20 F&B directors from five-star hotel groups to an afternoon lounge session—AGI Holding’s Head of Sales showcased sample packs for trial.
• AGI Holding had a slot in the Innovation Zone to demo its AR-based digital tour of high-tech farms and Georgian honey extraction, drawing a crowd of 100+ tech-savvy attendees.

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Day 4 – Follow-Up Meetings & Influencer Session:

• Conducted 15 follow-up meetings with interested distributors from KSA, Bahrain, and Qatar; finalized preliminary pricing and order volumes.
• Partnered with two GCC food influencers (combined 80K social following) to conduct live booth tours, resulting in social media reach of 50K+ viewers.

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Day 5 – Closing & Buyer Debrief:

• Held a team strategy session to review meeting notes, confirm shipping logistics for pilot orders, and assign account managers for follow-up.
• Provided a final booth walk-through for a Bahraini hypermarket chain, negotiating shelf-placement terms for Allezz sauces and Oyster Mushroom Farm products.

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Qualified Distribution Leads:

• 40+ meetings with GCC distributors; 10 LOIs (Letters of Intent) for initial pilot shipments:
• Allezz sauces: 30 tonnes combined across UAE and KSA retail.
• Oyster Mushroom Farm dried mushrooms: 15 tonnes to specialty health-food importers in Bahrain and Qatar.
• Royal B honey: 10 tonnes to two Dubai-based hospitality groups for menu integration.

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Media & Recognition:

• Gulf Food Magazine named AGI Holding’s pavilion as one of the “Top 5 Stands to Watch” for sustainability and technology integration.
• Arabian Business published an in-depth CEO interview on “Vertical Integration as a Game Changer in MENA Food Supply.”

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Certification & Compliance:

• Initiated UAE food authorities’ Halal audit for Oyster Mushroom Farm products; predicted certification date: Q2 2025.
• Commenced discussions with Saudi FDA for product registration, planning next visits in Riyadh for compliance documentation.

Notable Visitor Engagement

AGI Holding’s pavilion attracted visits from influential industry leaders, including senior executives from prominent Gulf-based retail chains and hospitality groups. Notably, senior procurement teams from Carrefour, Lulu Group, and Al Ain Farms visited for detailed discussions on exclusive and private-label opportunities. Prominent hotel chefs from Emirates Palace and Atlantis The Palm showed strong interest in integrating Royal B honey and Oyster Mushroom Farm produce into their culinary offerings, particularly attracted by the traceability and premium quality standards presented by AGI Holding.

Additionally, representatives from GCC government food-safety bodies expressed appreciation for AGI Holding’s transparent product sourcing and QR-based traceability system, citing it as a benchmark for future import standards.

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Social Media & Digital Presence

AGI Holding leveraged digital media effectively during Gulfood 2025, significantly enhancing its visibility across GCC markets. Live tours conducted by two prominent regional food influencers with a combined audience exceeding 80,000 followers brought real-time exposure to AGI Holding’s brands, driving increased engagement and follow-up inquiries. The AR-enabled digital tours and interactive product displays at the pavilion further generated organic social sharing among tech-savvy attendees.

These digital activities collectively resulted in over 50,000 targeted impressions on platforms such as Instagram and LinkedIn during the event period, markedly elevating AGI Holding’s regional brand awareness and online presence.

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Conclusion

AGI Holding's successful participation at Gulfood 2025 reinforced its strategic positioning as a leader in sustainable, vertically integrated food solutions in the Gulf region. By showcasing its Oyster Mushroom Farm, Allezz clean-label sauces, and Royal B Georgian honey, AGI Holding attracted significant interest from top-tier GCC retailers, hospitality groups, and influential industry figures. The event's notable outcomes—including new distribution agreements, heightened media recognition, robust social media engagement, and productive interactions with regulatory bodies—underscore AGI Holding's expanding market presence and its alignment with regional demands for sustainability, traceability, and innovation.