The Spinneys Local Business Incubator Programme is back for its third year and here are the winning home-grown brands you need to know about
FRÍO SPARKLING WATER
Founded by friends-turned-business partners, DIEGO CENTENO and RASHED AL MULLA, FRÍO SPARKLING WATER is the first homegrown, artisanal sparkling water brand in the region. Handcrafted in Dubai, FRÍO was created when the co-founders noticed a gap in the market.
“The water business is something that I have been interested in for the last 10 years,” says Diego. “Honestly, creating Frío was something we started out of necessity. When I moved to the Gulf in 2013, there weren’t any flavoured sparkling water brands on shelves, so starting the business was really a journey to create something that we liked and wasn’t available locally. As an American, when I go to the supermarket here in the UAE I see every American brand, but when I go to the US, I don’t see a single Dubai-based brand. Why?”
And what inspired the two entrepreneurs to apply to the Local Business Incubator Programme? “Our customers have been waiting to see us somewhere they recognise – they see us at events, they see us at the airport but they’re like, ‘When are you going to be stocked in Spinneys?’”
“Melody [Mok] from Curious Elephant (one of the Spinneys Local Business Incubator 2022 winners) actually encouraged us to try out for this year’s edition. We were quite hesitant, but Mel was like “you think you’re going to get picked? What if you don’t? Why are you worried about it?” We then seriously thought about applying and decided we’ve got to do it.”
Frío, which means cold in Spanish, comes in five different fresh flavours – grapefruit, lemon, coconut, strawberry and plain, but what are the founders’ favourite flavour? “All the flavours are amazing, but coconut for sure! And it’s not coconut water, like the water from the coconut – it’s coconut-flavoured water and it’s by far our best seller,” adds Diego.
@friosparklingwater
Our customers have been waiting to see us somewhere they recognise – they see us at events, they see us at the airport but they’re like, ‘When are you going to be stocked in Spinneys?’
FREE ME COMPANY
“Community is how I do business,” says SHONA HIND, owner and founder of Free Me Company, which makes chemical-free mosquito repellent sprays.
Having moved to Dubai from the UK in 2006 “for just a couple of years”, long-term expat Shona was inspired to start her business in 2016 after the unfortunate passing of her father. The mumtrepreneur quit her banking job and started to explore and develop the ideas she had for what was to become the FREE ME COMPANY. “Someone started off with a drawing and the idea for the Burj Khalifa, right?”
“I thought we have a big issue with mosquitoes in Dubai, yet none of the mosquito repellents available are natural and nothing was working properly. I was inspired by many natural remedies out there on the market, but wanted to make one that I knew would be naturally kind and safe for all ages and produce it here in the UAE.”
After months of market research, Shona took to the community to find out what they were looking for in a repellent. “Our customers are at the heart of what we do. I started asking friends, family and local neighbourhood groups things like – if you were going to buy a mosquito repellent, what would make you purchase one?; What would you want in one?; Would it be a natural one over a non-natural one?; What sort of price would you pay? I needed to ask potential customers and not just go ahead and make a product that I like.”
Free Me Company is the only natural range of mosquito repellents made locally. “It’s a magic potion. I make it here in the UAE, it’s natural, it’s sustainable... The products are free from nasties and they also free you from nasties, so that’s why I called the brand Free Me.”
@freemecompany
Being a part of the Local Business Incubator Programme means so much. When I saw the Spinneys mission statement “Let’s Do Better Together”, I knew we were aligned and together we can really add value to the community.
OATFUL
At just 22 years old, YARA MERSI is the youngest person to apply and be accepted into the Spinneys Local Business Incubator Programme in 2023. As the saying goes, breakfast is the most important meal of the day and Yara, the brains behind OATFUL, the UAE’s first high-protein, pre-made overnight oats mix, is on a mission to disrupt the breakfast industry with her innovative range of oats.
"“I’ve been having overnight oats since I was in middle school. I played a lot of sports growing up and wanted something that could help me improve my overall performance. When it came to nutrition, unfortunately, you don’t learn much
about it in school... So I took it into my own hands. The more I began to learn, the more I would go into the kitchen and experiment. When I stumbled upon overnight oats, I become obsessed and would have it every single day, testing out different flavour combinations… And that’s when it all started...” says the young entrepreneur."
“Having a healthy and delicious breakfast is really important and I want to help people maximise their potential by owning their morning.”
When naming the brand, Oatful was the first name that I thought of and it resonates with what I believe in – full of nutrients, full of flavour, and full of life.”
All flavours not only have over 20 grams of protein, but they’re also jam-packed with superfoods and plenty of fibre. And Yara’s favourite mix? “I’m going to be biased as I developed all the flavours myself, but if I had to pick it would be vanilla because it’s so versatile and can be paired with loads of different toppings.”
@shopoatful
Having a healthy and delicious breakfast is really important and I want to help people maximise their potential by owning their morning.
RORY'S APAWTHECARY
Having grown up in Abu Dhabi in a family of animal lovers, ROBYN FOK, the founder of RORY’S APAWTHECARY realised that dog owners in the UAE were missing out on a pet wellness brand that truly cares about animals.
“At the core of RORY’S APAWTHECARY, we care about animals and their well-being,” says Robyn. “Dogs don’t speak and as pet parents, it’s our responsibility to make sure that our pets are taken care of.”
So how did the brand get started? “When I was living in New York after college, my sister and I adopted Rory, an American cocker spaniel... She was the cutest thing ever. Rory went everywhere with me – it was always Robyn and Rory. When I moved back to Abu Dhabi, Rory came with me and was undoubtedly our family’s favourite family member. She passed away last year and is the inspiration behind the brand. Technically Rory is our founder and ‘apawthecary’ is a play on words for apothecary.”
“After we rescued Rory, we started dabbling with natural products for her... Fragrances and stuff like that... It was a very organic way of starting the business. Our products aren’t just nice perfumes or nice shampoos. It’s not just another dog conditioner. Everything that we use to create our products is well thought out. Our brand comes from a place of love. Our range is plant-based, organic, natural and even the accessories are made with azo-free printing meaning they’re toxin-free.”
And how does Robyn see the brand developing the coming years? “We’re more dog-focused but I’d love to have a range for cats one day. I love all animals and a healing brand for animals goes beyond just dogs.”
@rorysapawthecary
Everything that we use to create our products is well-thought-out. Our brand comes from a place of love. Our range is plant-based, organic, natural and even the accessories are made with azo-free printing meaning they’re toxin-free.
RUMI’S
LAYLA KARDAN and HAMDAN AL KHAFAJI were inspired to create RUMI’S, the UAE’s first high-quality, convenient baby food brand, after the birth of their adorable namesake son Rumi.
“I’ve had the pleasure of calling Dubai my home on and off for the past 20-something years now,” says Layla. “I feel like I've grown up with Dubai… It’s where I met my husband and where we had our baby boy who has made our life complete. We treasure and value not only his health, but our health so much more now, which is what led us to develop this amazing brand. Hamdan has really spearheaded Rumi’s with his passion for health.”
With both Layla and Hamdan being creatives, the vibrant and fun packaging plays a vital part in Rumi’s brand identity. “We want to attract both the parent and the baby, so when creating the products we wanted the packaging to be playful and artistic but also quite educational. We worked with a branding team called Studio Macki, which has worked with brands like NARS and Kiehl’s. We thought to ourselves, if we’re going to do this, we're going to do this right,” says Hamdan.
“As a mother, when I go to the supermarket, I’m always thinking about what kind of things I’m presenting my child with,” adds Layla.
Cleary passionate about the brand they named after their son, Hamdan goes on to say “here in the region, we’re the first baby food brand to use HPP, which is High-Pressure Processing rather than Heat Processing. This means our products maintain all their nutritional value. Our products also contain a special mix of 21 vitamins and nutrients which are essential for cognitive thinking and brain development. That’s our edge.”
Being a part of the Local Business Incubator Programme is an amazing opportunity and we're grateful to Spinneys for supporting the local ecosystem and giving home-grown brands this opportunity.
Spinneys Commercial General Manager - Tom Harvey says…
"We are now into our third year of the incubator programme. The standard and number of entries we continue to receive is quite incredible. It has been an immense pleasure for me and the team to watch how some of the businesses have flourished since joining the scheme. Many have now managed to secure not only additional business in the UAE, but are now exporting to other GCC countries and even into Europe which really shows just how much of an impact the incubator programme can have on supporting UAE food manufacturing, which was one of the founding principles for the scheme. We have some fantastic brands from the 2022 intake that are going through the final checks, and I’m really excited about seeing them on shelves soon."
