Graham’s Family Dairy, based in Bridge of Allan, scaling presence in Middle East with expanded UAE deal

Stirlingshire business tapping into increasing appetite for high-protein products.

'Our first 12 Protein 25 pots and pouches that launched in Spinneys in August of last year performed extremely well, and have continued to grow,' says the Scottish dairy firm. Picture: contributed.

Historic Scottish firm Graham’s Family Dairy has significantly expanded its product range in stores of a major supermarket chain in the United Arab Emirates, saying this in response to growing demand for quality milk and high-protein products.

The Bridge of Allan-based firm, founded in 1939 in Stirlingshire, said it started supplying Spinneys in the Middle Eastern country with home-grown produce in August 2023, and has already added 11 new product listings there, which will hit the shelves this month. The family-run business in fact supplies its products to 55 of the supermarket chain’s outlets across the UAE as well as the 15 Waitrose branches there that are also part of Spinneys that was established more than six decades ago, and is described as having evolved into one of the Emirates’ major supermarket brands.

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Robert Graham, Graham’s Family Dairy MD, cheered the tie-up, and said it is “testament to our Grandpa who founded Graham’s Family Dairy 85 years ago, who always had an eye for innovation”. He added: “Mirroring this trend we are seeing here in the UK, our first 12 Protein 25 pots and pouches that launched in Spinneys in August of last year performed extremely well, and have continued to grow, which led to Spinneys working with us to launch another 12 Graham’s lines in their stores across the UAE and another four to launch later in February.” He recently told The Scotsman that “anything protein-related has been doing very well”.

Meanwhile, Graham’s Family Dairy is again showcasing its wares at this year’s Gulfood Innovation Awards, which are held annually in Dubai, and are currently taking place, ending this Friday.

Paul Crawford, Spinneys’ commercial manager, said: “The launch of Graham’s Family Dairy products has played a pivotal role in driving the growth of the functional health dairy category, which has seen a remarkable surge of over 60 per cent compared to last year… our partnership with Graham’s Family Dairy is a perfect fit for us. Our businesses share a natural synergy, united in our dedication to promoting an attainable, healthy-eating lifestyle.”