Edible oils expert

MAZOLA is a leading corn and speciality oil brand with more than a century of heritage and experience. Since 1911, it has taken its inheritance of quality, trust, health, and value to its other oil products and now also offers top quality sunflower oil, mayonnaise, ghee, and margarine.

In a recent interview with Food Manufacturing Journal – Middle East, Simon Gottfried, general manager of Basateen Foods Saudi Arabia, the brand owners of Mazola products in the region, shared the company’s centennial journey, its growth prospects and trendier products and processes going forward.

When did Mazola start developing other product lines?

Mazola has traditionally been associated with its quality corn oil product, however in recent years the company has taken their wealth of international knowledge into other oil categories including sunflower oil and frying oil. In addition to edible oil, Mazola has also successfully launched value-added products such as mayonnaise with a range of flavours. The innovation of such a range of products was highlighted in Mazola Mayonnaise being awarded Product of the Year by consumers in 2013.

In additional to retail packs, Mazola catering division provides a range of bulk items for the industry plus speciality items that are developed in collaboration with their customers.

At over 100 years, what is Mazola’s strategy in staying competitive?

Mazola was established in the USA over 100 years ago and since then it has become one of the world’s true international brands with sales from San Francisco to Singapore and London to Dubai.

The journey has not only seen geographic expansion but also there has been product expansion in terms of the range now being offered which are not only oil based. However, whatever the product, all are produced to the highest Mazola standards that consumers have come to trust.

And proof are the many awards the company has received.

The Yanbu factory in Saudi Arabia has been awarded various technical and quality industrial standard awards. Mazola Mayonnaise range won Product of the Year 2013 through a tedious process of product review and survey of 3,600 GCC consumers where the evaluation process included innovation in design, function and packaging.

What is the company’s annual production volume?

While Mazola has a multitude of factories around the world, the one in Yanbu, Saudi Arabia covers manufacturing for the Middle East & North Africa countries. The volume increase in Mazola sales within recent years has led to a major investment at the end of 2013, which saw the factory triple their capacity in order to meet strategic volume and product development goals. The Mazola regional head office in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, covers all the markets in the Middle East & North Africa.

How does Mazola fit in with trends moving toward low fat products?

Mazola has been a household name amongst generations of loyal consumers due to the high quality premium products that we produce. All of Mazola products contain pure Mazola corn oil which is well known for being one of the healthiest edible oils since it is extracted from the corn germ.

Mazola has developed healthy options including Mayonnaise Lite which has less fat but all the same great taste as the regular Mazola Mayonnaise.

Mazola mayonnaise, in addition to Mazola corn oil and fresh eggs also holds inulin, a substance that is considered a key factor in reducing fat content. Other benefits of inulin include suppressing growth of harmful organisms causing cancer and toxin, regulating blood sugar levels and lowering bad cholesterol.

Is there special packaging needed for these products?

Given that corn is sensitive to any form of light and exposure could affect its quality and freshness, Mazola Corn oil is packed in an opaque yellow coloured bottle to keep the product fresh and clear. The opaque yellow (HDPE) bottles protect the oil from light frequencies that even the darkest amber glass bottles fail to do. It offers reduced environmental footprint, are lighter than glass bottles and are recyclable. This clearly illustrates Mazola’s crystal-like vision in developing products which hold the best value in terms of health and concern for its consumers.

What is your R&D focus?

At Mazola, satisfying consumers with top quality products for a healthier living is a top priority. All of our products aim to provide our consumers with a feel of comfort and satisfaction and are developed through extensive consumer research. Our Lite mayonnaise is just one example which has been developed for health conscious consumers however new value-added products are being researched in both the Mazola factory and amongst consumers in research.

Only recently Mazola introduced its mayonnaise in wide-mouth jars made from PET delivering significant benefits including portability and light weight, sustainability, recyclability, reduced transportation costs, and considerably controlled carbon footprint. The Mazola mayonnaise pack now is userfriendly and draws attention to its attractive and light-weight features compared to traditional glass containers.

Which markets outside UAE hold most potential for the company?

The MENA region is expanding in terms of opportunities. Besides the UAE, our other current markets are of great potential like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Lebanon. We are also venturing into and developing markets outside the GCC such as Iran, Algeria and Morocco.

Which new markets and regional zones is Mazola targeting?

Mazola’s focus in 2014 will be North Africa an area where the brand has limited awareness in the past and needs to compete against well established, low price local brands as well as tough import sanctions and tariffs.

Mazola was at Gulfood. How did it pan out for the company this year?

Gulfood is a great opportunity for Mazola to meet existing distributors and suppliers as well as reviewing the latest in technology and product offerings all under one roof.

Where does Mazola procure its raw materials?

We go far lengths in procuring the right raw material for our products as we do not compromise on quality. Our corn oil is only sourced from the highest quality suppliers in the United States. Other ingredients come from a range of selected suppliers across Europe and neighboring markets.

Describe the oils market in the GCC/Middle East.

The oil markets in the Middle East continue to grow with changes in consumer habits in moving towards healthier corn and sunflower oil products over palm and palm blended items. As always these coming months leading up to Ramadan marks significant increase in oil demand and we at Mazola increase production to meet consumer requirements for their cooking needs in oils but also ghee which is popular for specific Ramadan foods and sweets.

What are the challenges of producing oils and related products in the KSA?

Challenges of producing oils are fairly limited for Mazola as we have high quality suppliers of oil from the USA and Europe. This coupled with a multi-million dollar investment in our production plant at the end of 2013 ensure Mazola meets not only customers’ needs in quality but in supply too.