Dubai-headquartered Barakat looks to meet consumer demand for non-alcoholic beverages that replicate the drinking experience with its packaged mocktails, a category that the company hopes to grow in the Middle East and beyond.
Established in 1976, the Barakat Group has actively expanded its portfolio to include fresh and processed fruits and vegetables, ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook products, ice cream and frozen desserts, and fresh packaged juices and beverages.
At Gulfood 2025, held in Dubai from February 17 to 21, the company's focus was on introducing its range of ready-to-drink (RTD) mocktails, which have been launched for about six months, "in a bigger way".
The beverages come in four flavours (Green Appletini, Peach Bellini, Raspberry Margarita, Lime Blue Lagoon), and are available in 500ml bottle and 330ml can packaging.
"This is probably one of few 'natural mocktails' that you'd find not only in the Middle East, but everywhere else. If you look at the way mocktails are made -- whether in restaurants or packaged ones -- they are primarily made out of sugary syrups. Ours is made from a combination of real fruits with absolutely no syrup. [Our product is] all natural and clean label.
"We believe that we are creating a market for RTD mocktails not just in the region, but it's a template that people in any part of the world can build on. Our belief and hope is that with others getting into the market, the category will grow and our business, too, will grow.
"The mocktail was first launched through Emirates airlines, before we rolled it out on other channels. The products are now available in retail such as supermarkets, as well as via quick commerce and e-commerce. We also have our own concept stores called Barakat Fresh Market, where we sell directly to consumers. The response has been very good," Kenneth D'Costa, Managing Director of Barakat, told FoodNavigator-Asia.
Apart from carving out a category with growth potential, he said that the product also helps elevate the company's image.
"We are known as one of the most innovative companies in the food and beverage industry, so it adds to our branding as a company that really works hard on bringing something new to the market."
In addition, D'Costa shared that mocktails has a "naturally high demand" in the UAE due to alcohol restrictions.
"Youngsters who do not have access to alcohol but still want to have fun would get, for example, a barbican. It's a non-alcoholic malt beverage, but it replicates the beer experience. It feels cool, as though they are having a beer. Similarly, we feel mocktails can do the same."
Beyond the UAE, Barakat has presence in Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, and Maldives.
All its products are manufactured in the UAE, and have a shelf life of between three and 21 days.
To achieve a 21-day shelf life, the company adopts high-pressure pasteurisation (HPP), a preservation method whereby packaged products undergo a process that eliminates pathogens and spoilage bacteria without using heat, chemicals or preservatives, while maintaining the flavour, texture and nutritional properties.
This method ensures food safety and prolongs shelf life, and at the same time, creates clean label products.
"HPP is different from heat pasteurisation, where the product becomes denatured. In HPP, high pressure is applied on a product that has already been packaged to kill microbial contaminant, so the process does not denature it. The product is as natural as it can be, and the taste doesn't get altered.
"There are certain products that we extend their shelf life by utilising HPP -- for example, our fresh juice shots. If you look at such products globally, their shelf life is usually six to nine months. Rarely would you find something with a 21-day shelf life. To that extent, I think we are quite unique in our offerings," D'Costa added.
Despite the short shelf life of its products, Barakat leverages its ecosystem, based on years of operational experience, to minimise waste.
"Our ecosystem is geared towards handling [products with] three-day shelf life. Our strength is in predicting demand via two means -- we have a planning team, and we are using an ERP system (enterprise resource planning), which is not different from other companies.
"Having said that, we are working with an external company and trying some artificial intelligence (AI) tools to further reduce returned goods. We are still in the data gathering and massaging stage, so the predictive stage will start later on. Although we are already quite reasonably efficient, we want to be even more so."
As the RTD mocktails have a shelf life of five days, they are currently only sold in the UAE.