Abazeer organic store

In Saudi Arabia of the year 1984, the term “organic” is something unheard of. There is little awareness about how nutrition affects people’s health and well being. Concerns about the environment — including the depletion of fossil fuels, emission of greenhouse gasses, contamination of land and sea, and the decreasing supply of clean, potable water — are unuttered.
Despite all this, a Saudi health-conscious architect decides to open a small store in Souq Al-Mussadia in Jeddah, to sell imported natural foods. His name: Khalid S. Al-Haddad.
“When I started my business back then, nobody knew what organic was. But I was aware of the importance of consuming food without chemicals or preservatives. For me, it was all about health,” Al-Haddad comments when asked how he came up with the idea of opening an organic store. The store — which he named Abazeer, or mix of spices — sold only non-perishable items, such as rice, biscuits, pasta and spices.
“People thought I was crazy, as there was no demand whatsoever for natural products. It was very difficult to convince people of the health benefits of organic foods.”
Luckily, the architect persevered with his project, and slowly, people started to take more of an interest in their health. In 1997, Al-Haddad bought a farm located between Jeddah and Madinah, where he started growing his own produce. At first het grew only vegetables and later also fruits.
The eagerly awaited upswing took place at the beginning of the new millennium.
“Awareness about the relation between food and health started to grow rapidly in that time, due to media programs on this topic and the soaring rates of obesity, diabetes, and other diet-related diseases,” tells Al-Haddad. The founder and president of Abazeer Trading Establishment acquired two more farms near Madinah, increasing the total area to some 1 million square meters, and one in the north near the Jordan border, encompassing 650,000 square meters.
“On the farms between Jeddah and Madinah, we mainly grow vegetables and dates, whereas in Tabuk the focus is on fruits and olive trees.”
Recently, the small store in Souq Al-Mussadia moved to a bigger location in the same market. It sells a variety of products, ranging from fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs and cheeses to dried products like rice, pasta, beans, seeds and spices. It even includes a bakery and butchery.
Al-Haddad, a calm, balanced man, talks passionately about the varieties of fruits and vegetables he cultivates.
“I like to grow small quantities of different types of certain fruits and vegetables,” he reveals, telling that his farms currently produce 30 grape cultivars, including species from Japan, the US, Egypt, and Najran, Saudi Arabia. Likewise, the store sells 71 tomato cultivars in all kinds of colors and shapes — red, orange, yellow, gold and even black; small, big, round and oblong. Apart from selling these vegetables and fruits fresh in the store, Abazeer also processes them into jams and dried fruits. All its products are certified by BCS Öko-Garantie GmbH, a German organic certifier. However, since the Saudi Organic Farming Association recently came with its own label, Abazeer is now shifting to the Saudi logo.
While touring the store, Al-Haddad tells about the products he sells. His farms produce all kinds of grains, such as wheat, barley, oats, and millet, and even kamut.
“There is a legend behind kamut,” he says, explaining that this ancient, forgotten grain was found in 1949 by an American pilot in the tombs of the Egyptian pharaohs, and took it with him to the United States.
One section in the store that catches the eye is the “macrobiotic section,” which contains imported products from Japan like brown rice and grains, seaweed, and all kinds of pulses. The owner is clearly a man who likes to explore exotic foods so as to maximize his health. The oils he sells are cold pressed, “to avoid destroying any nutrients,” he comments.
In the center of the store is a section with health books. Most are in Arabic, but there are some English titles as well. “Most locals prefer to read in Arabic, so the majority of books is in that language. However, as we have some expats visiting the store as well, so we provide them with English books on herbs and health,” Al-Haddad clarifies.
The store’s butchery looks suspiciously empty. “We sell lamb and beef by order to ensure customers the meat’s freshness,” says Al-Haddad. The animals Abazeer raises are held according to organic farming regulations. They have their own space and can go out at any time. They have permanent access to shade and water. Besides, the animals don’t get growth hormones and preventive antibiotics, as happens in conventional farms.
So far, Abazeer has only one store in Jeddah. However, with the demand for organic products growing rapidly in the Kingdom, Abazeer holds a bright future. Some of its products, such as its pastas, brown rice and lentils, are already available in the organic sections of several supermarkets. Besides, Al-Haddad has ambitious future plans: “Soon, we will open another store on Sultan Street in Jeddah. Eventually, we want to open at least one store in every big city.” Currently, the company is working to open a restaurant for take-out and delivery food in Souq Al-Mussadia. “We will serve different types of food from all over the world, ranging from Moroccan and Lebanese to Japanese dishes,” Al-Haddad announces. Needless to say, all dishes will be healthy and organic.