Today's Edition
AMEINAH ALZEYOUDI (ABU DHABI)
At Make it in the Emirates 2025, the UAE's flagship manufacturing and industrial event, two standout homegrown brands - The Scent Library Official and Maison Samira Maatouk Group - are examples of how tradition, innovation and national pride are shaping their global ambitions.
Saeed Al Nuaimi, Managing Director and Founder of The Scent Library Official, spoke about the company's mission to promote locally grown perfume ingredients and export UAE heritage to the world.
"The perfumes you see behind you were extracted from UAE farms," he said. "Our Moringa perfume, for example, comes from Mohamed Al Mazroui's farm in Masafi. We're also working with French experts to build local factories and scale production of unique scents like date and laurel."
Al Nuaimi said that the company aims to transmit Emirati culture through its fragrances, with a goal of distributing to over 80 countries and establishing a presence in every major airport.
"Forest firewood, smoke, incense - these are some of the most precious parts of our heritage, and we're bottling them in a modern way," he said.
Joining the conversation, Samira Maatouk, of Maison Samira Maatouk Group, expressed pride in the UAE's coffee industry and its global potential.
"We are proud to be one of the most important coffee producers, locally and internationally. Our goal is to become number one in our field - as we're used to in the UAE," she said.
Maatouk explained that what sets their coffee apart is not just technology, but deep roots in the UAE's environment and culture. "Our industry is built from the history of this land. The blends, the freshness, the beans - we study all of this in our labs. We believe that with the right care, UAE-grown coffee can one day stand beside the greats: Ethiopia, Guatemala, Costa Rica and Jamaica," she said.
She also pointed to promising changes in the UAE's agricultural climate. "The weather is evolving and, with it, new opportunities for local crops are opening up," she added.
