Business of breakfast

Our Correspondent / EMIRATES BUSINESS

Mix&muesli is the United Arab Emirate’s first and only online muesli shop, selling tasty and nutritious muesli mixes that breakfast lovers can customise and have
delivered directly to their home or
office. It was a trip to the supermarket that ignited the idea for mix&musesli.
Frustrated at the lack of healthy muesli options for his young family, and tired of the same choices that were available, Dubai-based co-founder, Egyptian-Canadian Bassel Kababbe decided to take breakfast and business into his own hands and established
mix&muesli in March of this year.
“I had always been a muesli fan but I suppose I didn’t pay too much attention to the ingredients of the products I had been buying until I became a father,” said Kabbabe. “I was pretty taken a back to see that many of the mueslis that I had been purchasing for years were full of sugar and preservatives. It was at that stage that I knew that I couldn’t knowingly buy these products for my son and family and so the idea of mix&muesli was born.”
Mix&muesli allows consumers to custom-make their own muesli, selecting a combination of over 60 grain, dried fruit, nut and seed options to create one of over a billion of possible muesli combinations. Unlike many store-bought brands, mix&muesli is 100 percemt natural, free of preservatives and the company offers a selection of gluten-free, organic and no added sugar options. Easily ordered online, each muesli is hand delivered, bearing the name of the original mix.
For Kabbabe, the timing for the brand’s Dubai launch could not have been better.
“Dubai is undergoing tremendous growth in the food and beverage sector with a number of home-grown concepts launching and flourishing within the Emirate. Events such as the consumer-focussed Dubai Food Festival and the long-standing trade-focussed Gulfood are doing a great job at bringing the Emirate’s food sector to the forefront,” said Kabbabe.
“Along with local will and interest into the UAE’s home-grown food and beverage sector, mix&muesli is also tapping into key global food trends such as customisable food and a growing momentum for more organic, gluten-free, and natural, preservative-free option that are easily accessible and fairly priced.”
While the idea came from wanting to provide healthy breakfast options for his own family, Kabbabe and his team are now focussed on spreading the healthy breakfast message to individuals and families across the Emirate and have enlisted the guidance of nutritionist, Maya Kobeissi to both create the brand’s selection of pre-mixes and help drive home the importance of a healthy breakfast — one that can be customised for nutritional requirements and tastes as well as lifestyle thanks to mix&muesli.
A Director of Nutrition Programmes at the Obesity Medicine Institute in Dubai, founder of the FitKids and NuLife nutrition programmes and MBC3 regular, Kobeissi said, “With the hustle and bustle of life in the UAE, many people don’t have time, or they simply forget the importance of having a healthy and nutritious breakfast. mix&muesli allows them to both customise their breakfast according to both taste and nutritional requirements given the sheer number of options available. Add in the convenience of muesli, delivered right to your door, and it makes an ideal choice for those wanting a healthy start to the day.”
While mix&muesli is spreading the healthy breakfast message to families and individuals, corporations, educational institutes and fitness industry brands have also taken note of the new concept, working with mix&muesli in hosting a variety of events including corporate wellness breakfasts and health days. Among the events have been HSBC’s health and wellness day, Middlesex University’s wellness day as well as sponsorship of CrossFit Gold Box’s Gold Rush Competition. The brand is also working with loyalty programmes such as Dubai Airport’s My Deal Card and the Emirates Platinum card, have made the Circuit’s Factory’s clean vendor list and and have set up shop at the popular Ripe Market. mix&muesli is also in discussions with a number of large organisations to provide them with muesli mixes for their staff members on an ongoing basis to ensure a nutritional breakfast option.
“Collaboration and mutually beneficial partnerships are a key focus of our growth efforts in Dubai and the UAE,” said Kabbabe. “While only launched earlier this year, we have been seen a tremendous response from both individuals as well as like-minded brands.”
While currently focussing on growth within the UAE, Kabbabe says that mix&muesli has its future sights set on expansion in other GCC countries.
“There are tremendous opportunities available across the region for mix&muesli and we are looking forward to exploring further these avenues when the time is right” said Kabbabe.