Trans Arabia International Trading W.L.L.(TA), established in 2012 by CEO and Bahrain based entrepreneur, José Matos, specialises in Food Service supplies and represents a number of major international brands. As the exclusive distributor of Café D’Vita powdered beverages (including the most exquisite cappuccinos, iced coffees, hot cocoas, chocolate and vanilla based drinks); Trans Arabia operates primarily in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain and acts as the exclusive broker for the rest of the Middle East region.
Other major US brands marketed and distributed by Trans Arabia include Finest Call (cocktail mixers); REAL Infused (syrups); Franks RedHot Sauces; Sweet Baby Rays BBQ Sauces; Glitz and Popping Pearls; both of which are made in the US but Bahraini branded.
“As far as I am concerned, the key elements that define a US brand and make it stand out from the other countries’ equivalent are quality of product, stock availability, proper inventory control, outstanding after sales service and training”, confides José.
More recently, the company has also begun Food Retail operations and expects to develop these further very soon. “We have seen consistent growth throughout the past five years, with the exception of 2020 for obvious reasons,” says José, “and we look forward to reaching even greater heights in the near future.”
As well as their US products, Trans Arabia are also the Food Service agents for Dilmah Ceylon Tea, Giffard Syrups, Sauces and Fruit Purees, Chai Lattes; Matcha Green Tea mixers and powders as well as Master of Mixers. With large-scale supply contracts not only to major hotels and restaurants but also to large corporate entities including the national airline, Gulf Air, Trans Arabia has come a long way in one decade of business and now looks to regional expansion as the next logical progression.
“Throughout the region, we take the orders, manage financial transactions, coordinate with our distributors, and then ship directly from US to the various countries where we have appointed distributors,” he says.
“Also, in 2018, we set up production facilities for a new branch of our operation; Veggietalis W.L.L., which specialises in processing fresh cut vegetables packaged in vacuum”, says José.
“We expanded once again in 2020, to produce frozen french fries in standard and customized sizes, cubes and wedges,” he adds.
Veggietalis as the first frozen french fries factory in Bahrain, supplies a large number of hotels, cafes and restaurants delivering an outstanding product to Trans Arabia’s Food Service clients. The company acts as the marketing arm of Veggietalis, distributing all frozen product lines via their temperature-controlled vehicles; made up of a fleet of eight delivery vehicles, just for the Bahrain market.
“As part of our expansion strategy, we are currently developing efforts to create a retail distribution project with some of Bahrain’s Class A supermarkets and Hypermarkets to further develop our local presence in Bahrain while, at the same time, securing additional retail brands,” says José.
“At Trans Arabia/Veggietalis, we pride ourselves on supplying premium quality brands and providing our customers with outstanding after sales service, presentations and demonstrations, sharing product know-how and food preparation techniques. It is this passion for detail and obsession with quality that makes us such a successful operation with a totally satisfied client base exceeding 800 clients at present,” he says.
José is extremely up beat regarding the FTA agreement and the benefits it has provided his company within recent years. “The FTA has given us a big advantage in terms of the absence of import duties on the US products that we import. Our brands are very well known and quality is guaranteed and consistent with every shipment. It is indeed a pleasure doing business with the United States”.
He continues, “We are always looking for new opportunities in established product lines and with new technologies entering the food manufacturing industry in particular, we are truly excited about the immediate possibilities; dealing in truly healthy alternatives for confectionery, ice cream and fat calorie reduction products and services. We expect to be on the vanguard of this movement throughout the entire region.”
