Zaki Group, one of the leading food dairy and beverage companies in Iraq, is marking a milestone in the Iraqi market with locally produced products.

In a recent move, the group, which was started more than 15 years ago, has launched the first locally produced UHT liquid dairy product filled in SIG Combibloc Obeikan’s 1 litre combidome carton pack in the Middle East and Africa region.

The family size pack has been launched keeping in mind an increase in demand for family size shelf stable milk since the pandemic has started.

SIG Combibloc Obeikan is one of the world’s leading systems and solutions provider for aseptic packaging and filling machines for food and beverages.

The launch of the new premium family size pack of its UHT milk under the “Qirat Iraq” brand comes soon after the launch of the first locally produced single serve dairy product in Iraq. The pack will cater to three product categories: full fat, low fat and fat free white milk, the company said in a statement.

Bahaa Zeidan, General Manager, Zaki Group said: “With our new packs, we are presenting UHT milk products that are unique and premium and shifting our strategy to cater to a rising demand in family size products in the market.

“SIG’s carton pack combidome is an innovative pack that looks and handles like a bottle, while at the same time offering all the benefits of a carton pack as far as environmental and logistical advantages are concerned. The aseptic process ensures that consumers can rely on high-quality, tasty beverages with all their natural nutrients, vitamins, flavour and colours. The carton structure blocks light and air, ensuring that products can be stored for a long time without refrigeration or preservatives.

“With this new market launch of milk beverages in combidome for the first time, we are marking a milestone in the Iraqi market with locally produced products. We are confident that by choosing combidome, we are setting ourselves up for clear differentiation in the dairy segment with high quality products specially localised for our customers.”

Zaki Group’s partnership with SIG Combibloc Obeikan has been growing over the years. The group benefits from the full flexibility of its existing lines with a vast and varied portfolio that includes 13 single serve sizes (from 80ml-350ml), and three family size packs (500, 750, 1,000ml).

Abdelghany Eladib, Chief Operating Officer, SIG Combibloc Obeikan, said: “Zaki Group is a partner that continues to grow and expand while launching new products that should be accompanied with the best innovative solutions. We have witnessed an increase in demand for family size shelf stable milk since the pandemic has started accompanied with an increased global demand. As families are staying safe at home, purchases have been focused on shelve stocking for milk products.”

He added: “We firmly believe combidome is an excellent fit for the company’s ideas. For the UHT filling of products, the packs must meet the highest requirements for sterile use, because germs can reproduce much more readily in a low-acid environment such as milk than they can in a product like juice. The filling machines for combidome and the corresponding carton packs take this into account, so manufacturers can flexibly fill all kinds of beverages”.

Combidome, the carton bottle from SIG, combines the best features of a carton pack with the best features of a bottle, making it different from anything that has ever been seen before in food packaging. In 2014, the exceptional design of combidome has been recognised with one of the world’s most important design accolades: the iF Design Award. The carton pack’s remarkable design also creates numerous logistical advantages with which substantial savings can be achieved in total system costs.