Al Khualifeen Modern Trading Enterprises (Mama’s Sauce)
Persistent focus
Ibrahim Al Khulaifeen has brought about a significant directional change in his business at the behest of Zubair SEC
Ibrahim Hamad Sulaiman Al Khulaifeen and “Mama’s Sauce” is an example of how a right strategic direction and handholding can make a huge change to one’s business. When Ibrahim joined Zubair SEC’s Direct Support Programme he had a food outlet called Barbeque Bro’s and was aiming to franchise it as well. Apart from his burger shop, he also used to create his own sauces. Soon after joining the Direct Support Programme, he had an issue with his partner. Zubair SEC stepped in on his behalf and resolved the matter; Ibrahim was also advised to find a new way of doing business.
His advisors at Zubair SEC told him that since he had created his signature sauces, he should work on those and look into creating a new business model, away from the burger shop. One of the leading kitchens in Oman with five chefs was approached so that they could taste the product and share their ideas and advice.
His sauces were put through rigorous product testing. Zubair SEC sent sauces created by Ibrahim for laboratory and health tests. A check was made on their longevity and expiry. The Centre also found that there were a few Omanis who had similar products with a good market share in and outside Oman, reflecting the potential of the business. A complete process study was undertaken to see the feasibility of a full production line in Oman.
Zubair SEC has been supporting Ibrahim in establishing the production line for Mama’s Sauce products. A place for the production facility has been acquired and an industrial engineering company has started designing the production unit. The plan is to manufacture some of the machinery in Oman and to import a part of the requirements from India. As an essential step, Zubair SEC helped Ibrahim develop and register the actual brand for these sauces; “Mama’s Sauce”. The process involved developing a logo with a catchy name, styling, and creating colour scheme. In addition, the packaging for the products has also been developed. These sauces have five different flavours, but the production facility will be starting with three. The plan is to supply it to two different markets – individuals and restaurants.
Simultaneously, Zubair SEC has helped Ibrahim make certain improvements to his burger shop called ‘Barbeque Rolls’ in Muscat in Al Hail area. While not many changes have been done to the structure of the shop, Zubair SEC has helped in creating advertisements and in marketing the outlet. All these efforts have made the business stable, helping it achieve financial breakeven over the last ten months. Overall, Barbeque Bro’s is running smoothly and is sustainable. While the burger shop is in Al Hail area, the sauce production unit is being built in Maabela.
Ibrahim works as an Air Traffic Controller – a job that requires attention to detail. As a result he takes care of the minutest issues of his business, irrespective of whether they are big or small. He is persistent, focused and knows what he wants and where he wants to take his business. Ibrahim is very passionate about his project, but is also flexible and open to reason. As soon as Zubair SEC discovered that he had another vertical, i.e. sauces which he could commercialise, he was open to the idea.
Ibrahim comes from an entrepreneurial family of business owners and traders, thus one can assume that the entrepreneurial appetite runs in the family. Ibrahim has huge ambitions for his business and he wants his sauces to be the Omani sauce of choice and probably also a global brand. His sauces have a unique taste and can be taken anywhere.
“The number one service that Zubair SEC provided was that of direct support and free consultation. The advisors who are very experienced and knowledgeable were always there to guide and advise us. Success is not only about money but also about subject matter expertise on issues like where to start, where to head in terms of service, marketing, branding and all other aspects of the business. Zubair SEC speeds up things and the process, compared to if we had been on our own. They have the resources and experience, and know how to keep things moving. There may be times when one may procrastinate, but they do not allow you to get complacent or to stagnate.”, says Ibrahim Hamad Sulaiman Al Khulaifeen.