Khazan, one of the Gulf’s leading producers of halal meat food products, is to invest Dh60 million ($16.3 million) in a new meat factory in the region as part of ambitious ongoing expansion plans.

The company made the announcement from its exhibition stand at Halal World Expo, the new international trade show that was held recently at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, and also confirmed that it was looking to break into the $16 billion halal food market in the US.
“We’re planning to open our third meat factory in one of the Gulf countries and will finalise our plans by the middle of next year after completing our research to identify the best location,” said Gerhard Vogt, Khazan’s production manager.
Providing jobs for around 100 people, the new factory will be similar in size to the company’s 77,500 sq ft second manufacturing facility which opened in Sharjah in February and has doubled its production capacity.
The Kuwaiti-owned company will equip the new facility with the latest state-of-art meat processing equipment as it proceeds with expansion plans designed to make it the region’s biggest halal food producer.
“We have a dynamic, young management and we have definite plans for further expansion in the region,” said Vogt.
The new Sharjah factory has quickly taken the lead from the original facility in Kuwait to grow Khazan’s exports, servicing all of the Gulf countries and also opening a new market in Syria.
 “We’re looking to increase our exports, particularly with the opening of the new factories, and we have been examining the US market,” said Vogt. “We’re ready to begin exporting there, and we’re definitely able to supply halal products which meet US regulatory requirements.”
“The key will be to work with a good distributor, and we’re hoping that our contacts at Halal World Expo will help us find the right one.”