Dubai - MENA Herald: The beverage industry in the Gulf and the Middle East and North Africa region has been witnessing a remarkable growth and development in the past years. This is due to the constant increase in local demand, in addition to the increase in the population growth rate in the region.
The beverage industry is such a vast one that spans out to include all liquid diets, juices, milk, soft drinks, mineral water, ice tea, and the new energy drinks. The industrial indicators for the non-alcoholic beverages and liquid diets sectors show an ongoing increase in the volume of that sector globally, and that the UAE has a significant share of this sector as well.
According to a new market report by Euromonitor International, a London-based market intelligence firm, the soft drinks market size in the Middle East & Africa is expected to cross 81.4 billion litres this year, of which, 1.9 billion in the UAE market. As for the bottled water sector, Euromonitor expects the Middle East and Africa region’s market size to reach 50.5 billion litres in 2016, of which, the UAE’s market size will reach 1.2 billion litres.
In line with the developments witnessed in the beverage industry, Dubai will host the Dubai Drink Technology Expo and Global Water and Beverage Technology Congress (GWBT) in May 2016 providing the best platform for suppliers and manufacturers to broaden their reach and enter the Middle East, Africa, Mediterranean and Asia Markets. Dubai Drink Technology Expo features every year the latest updates in the beverage industry in addition to the advancements in the drink processing and packaging systems, light machinery, equipment used in the process of manufacturing, treatment, filling, supply, packaging, transport, preservation and distribution of beverages.
Commenting on the coming edition of Dubai Drink Technology Expo (DDTE), Eng. Anas Al Madani, Vice-Chairman and Group CEO of INDEX Holding, said: “Dubai Drink Technology Expo comes to confirm the important and vital role of the beverage industry in Dubai and the region. DDTE aims to induce the development of the beverage sector in the Arab world. I call upon all the representatives and agents of the local beverage industry, investors and all interested parties to participate in DDTE to find out about the latest developments in this sector, and to engage in successful partnerships with international counterparts.”
Eng. Anas Al Madani added: “We will work closely with our exhibitors to increase the quality of their products and services, which will eventually increase their sales and market share in the beverage market, both locally and globally.”
According to EuroMonitor, drinking water makes for 60% of the total consumption of beverages in the GCC, with 20% for juices and 17% for soft drinks. Finally, the Carbonates sector market size in the Middle East and Africa region will hover around 23.2 billion litres of which 327 million litres will be consumed in the UAE market.
Commenting on the promising indicators for this industry in the region, Mr. Mauro Mumbach, CEO of SOLO Water that has been introduced recently to the UAE said: “I believe there is a great potential for growth in this market, henceforth a large demand for functional beverages. We have something that goes way beyond mineral water. SOLO Water, for its rare and unique composition, meets the demand of this region. Following SOLO launch past December in Abu Dhabi, it is not only important but crucial for our strategy to be present at DDTE 2016, an event that brings us the highest and best expectations. We truly believe that this participation will be fruitful and it will be a perfect opportunity to promote SOLO Water in the region.”
Dubai Drink Technology Expo will be taking place from 16th to 18th of May, 2016 in Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Center. The event is considered the premier specialised event in the MENA region for the beverage industry. It is also a unique platform for beverage
companies to present their latest technologies and system solutions for the entire production chain of Carbonated, Fruit Juices, Bottled Water, Energy and Wellness Drinks, Milk and Dairy Products, Functional Drinks RTD (Ready to Drink), and Tea and Coffee.