Dubai Food Manufacturing: Hamriyah + ESMA Halal in 55 Days
An Indian snack manufacturer expanding to GCC needed food-grade industrial Free Zone with Halal certification + ESMA conformity + 20 production visas. Built at Hamriyah in 55 days.
Indian Snack Manufacturer, INR 50Cr Revenue
A Mumbai-based snacks manufacturer (savoury snacks, namkeen, sweets) — established 1992, INR 50Cr (USD 6M) annual revenue. India + GCC distribution. Wanted UAE manufacturing facility to: cut Saudi/Kuwait shipping costs by 60%, qualify for GCC Halal certification, faster lead times for ramadan / Eid seasons.
Halal + Food Safety + Industrial Setup
Food manufacturing requires: industrial Free Zone with food-grade infrastructure, ESMA (Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology) conformity for each product, GCC Halal certification (separate process), food safety system (HACCP/ISO 22000), Dubai Municipality food approval. Plus 20 production-line visas + heavy machinery import.
- Food-grade industrial facility
- ESMA conformity certificates (per product)
- GCC Halal certification
- HACCP food safety system
- 20 production-line visas
What We Recommended — and Why
Jurisdiction: Hamriyah Free Zone
Hamriyah Industrial Phase 2 — food manufacturing cluster, established food-grade infrastructure, cheaper than KIZAD for medium-scale food ops.
HamriyahLicense: Food Industrial Manufacturing
Hamriyah Industrial Manufacturing License + Food Production. 800m² facility with separate production lines per SKU.
Industrial LicenseVisas: 1 Investor + 20 Production
Plant director Investor Visa. 20 employment visas: 12 production staff, 4 quality control, 3 maintenance, 1 admin.
UAE Employment VisaBanking: HSBC Trade Finance
HSBC for: raw material import LCs (from India), export documentation for Saudi/Kuwait/Bahrain, USD/INR/AED multi-currency.
Corporate Bank AccountFrom First Call to Fully Operational
- Day 0 Discovery + Hamriyah site visit
- Day 1-12 Hamriyah application + 800m² facility lease
- Day 18 Industrial license + customs warehouse code
- Day 20-40 ESMA conformity (8 products) + GCC Halal certification
- Day 35-50 21 visas + HACCP food safety system + HSBC LC
- Day 55 First production batch completed + Saudi export
What the Client Received
Deliverables
- Hamriyah Food Manufacturing License
- 800m² production facility
- ESMA conformity (8 SKUs)
- GCC Halal certification
- 21 UAE residency visas
- HACCP food safety system
- HSBC trade finance + LC facility
GCC Halal certification was a 6-week parallel process — separate from ESMA. Insight had both running in parallel from Week 3, otherwise this becomes a 90-day project. We had 200 cartons shipped to Riyadh on Day 55.
— V. S. — Indian Snack Manufacturer (NDA)
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