Australian flavours find fans at Saudi Food Show

Australia has become a trusted supplier of premium food and beverages to Saudi Arabia.

Over 50 Australian exporters brought a taste of Australia to Saudi Food Show – the largest food and beverage sourcing event in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Austrade was proud to join state, territory and industry partners to support Australian exhibitors across meat, dairy, convenience, health foods and beverages.

Australia’s clean, green, quality food and beverages consistently stand out in the Middle East, says Bryony Hilless, Austrade General Manager for the Middle East, Africa & Pakistan.

‘As the Middle East’s population grows and consumers demand high-quality and reliable food and beverages, Australia has become a secure and trusted exporter to the region,’ she says.

The Middle East is Australia’s fourth largest market for agricultural exports. In 2024, Australia exported A$4.7 billion in agricultural goods to the region –A$600 million to Saudi Arabia.

‘Saudi Food Show offered a golden opportunity for the region’s retailers, wholesalers and food service providers to connect with Australian producers and explore partnerships,’ says Hilless. ‘We are proud to report many quality connections were made between Australian businesses and these buyers.’

Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 and a raft of global events are transforming the Kingdom’s food and beverage landscape. There are unparalleled opportunities for Australian exporters to provide the innovative, premium products, explains Austrade’s Trade and Investment Commissioner Todd Miller.

‘Opportunities as part of this transformation span tourism and food service industries, as well as increasing speciality products like organic and health foods and convenience products,’ he adds.

Todd Miller: Here we are at the third edition of the Saudi food show. Australia I'm very proud Austrade of being part of this show for each of its three years.

Kate Evans: The Middle East is a fantastic market for Australian products and we've seen that today with all of the interest we've had in the brands and the products that we're showing here today at the show.

Bryony Hilless: I'm not sure many people know that the Middle East is actually Australia's fourth largest export market for our agricultural goods.

Mancel Hickey: You'll find it's very active today. It's around about 6 hours into the show and we found it extremely busy. We've had strong inquiries from distributors to restaurants to food service as well and it's all come about because of Austrade's relationship and putting us here today.

Todd Miller: This year we've got over 50 Australian companies here exhibiting their good quality Australian food all the way from Australia here to Saudi Arabia.

Bryony Hilless: And last year alone we exported almost $5 billion into the region with 600 million of that here to Saudi.

Kate Evans: And it's really becoming clear that Australian product and the quality that it offers is something that's important to the customers here and the Middle East market in general. So it really is a booming place to be and something great to be involved in.

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Meat on the menu at the Australia Pavilion

Austrade partnered with Meat & Livestock Australia to bring a taste of Australia’s premium products to the region. Australian lamb and beef exporters, including Karim and Stanbroke, brought a range of halal-certified, high-quality meats.

Australian frozen and chilled meat exports to the region are increasing. Sheep meat exports doubled between 2020 and 2024 to A$1.2 billion and beef exports reached A$555 million among strong competition.

Meat sales far exceed livestock sales, supported by strong cold chain logistics systems in Middle Eastern partner countries. Australia secured 120-day shelf life for chilled beef and 90-day for chilled sheep meat under GCC standards — boosting trade confidence and market access. 

Award-winning Chef Vanessa Bayma cooked quality Australian beef and lamb paired with products from other Australian exhibitors.

Jambo Foods founder Faiza Abdulgafur was one of the exhibitors on the stand. Her range of Kenyan-inspired marinades gained strong interest from distributors and retailers over the 3-day show.

‘Since attending Gulfood back in 2023, entering the Middle East, particularly Saudi and the broader GCC region, has been a key focus for us,’ she says. ‘Saudi Food was a great opportunity for my team to connect with distributers. Now it is time to continue this momentum and follow up with all the contacts made.’

More than 850 Aussie products showcased at Lulu Hypermarket

Austrade partnered with retailer LuLu Hypermarket on an ‘Explore Australia’ campaign across its stores in Riyadh to coincide with Saudi Food Show. The leading retailer showcased over 850 Australian products across 16 stores in Riyadh.

‘Explore Australia’ was a celebration of Australia’s clean, green, quality foods and beverages. The Kingdom has a growing appetite for premium Australian products, from meats and fresh produce to health and convenience foods.

Shehim Mohammed: Australia food week is an event that we do annually since 4 years in Saudi Arabia This is in partnership with the Embassy of Australia and the Trade Mission of Australia. Australia products carry a high amount of quality.

Todd Miller: LuLu 2025 the Explore Australia promotion Amazing What you see here is a lot of the products and there's some brand new products like SPC spaghetti this year coming in with a bunch of other new products. There's 28 brand new Australian products in LuLu this year. That takes the total to just under 900 products from Australia here at LuLu in Saudi Arabia and broader across the Middle East.

Bryony Hilless: LuLu is a significant player in the Middle East. It has stores across the GCC and it's wonderful that Austral has such a fantastic relationship with them that allows so many fantastic Australian products to come in onto the shelves of all of their wonderful supermarkets, giving consumers lots of great choice and lots of great options when it comes to goodness from down under. LuLu is committed to Australia and not that long ago opened up their very first distribution center in Melbourne. So it gives them the ability to continue to access fantastic Australian products for consumers in the Middle East.

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‘We’re proud to partner with LuLu Hypermarket, a retailer with a strong footprint in the Middle East, to showcase much-loved Australian products in-store,’ says Miller. ‘By supporting Australian producers at Saudi Food Show, we hope to connect and grow export partnerships in the region.’

Shehim Mohammed, Director of LuLu Hypermarket Saudi Arabia, adds: ‘At LuLu, we are committed to offering a rich and diverse shopping experience to customers in Saudi Arabia. Australia Week is part of that commitment.

‘Through our partnership with Austrade, we can provide a selection of high-quality products that align with Saudi tastes and nutritional needs. We are excited to share these exceptional items with our customers.’


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