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00:00Welcome to Khaleesh Times. Today we're talking about a very unique Ramadan
00:04initiative called Recipe for Change led by Pook Arabia. We're joined by Mahitab
00:09Hamid, Vice President of Marketing at Arla Foods MENA. With over 25 years in
00:14the industry, she's here to tell us about why this project is so important and how
00:19it's changing lives in the region. Mahitab, thank you so much for being with
00:22us here today. Thank you for the opportunity. If you could please tell us
00:26a bit about Pook, the brand, we would love to hear about it. Yeah sure, I mean
00:31Pook has been here in the region for so long and Pook has always been focusing
00:36on heroing moms all over the Middle East. It has actually been a value that the
00:42brand has been taking all across and this campaign is one of several
00:47campaigns that we've been doing to really hero moms and put them at the
00:50spotlights. We do not take our brand into just pushing products to consumers
00:57but we would like to really bring our brand purpose to life in a more
01:01meaningful way. Can you please share the story behind Recipe for Change and why
01:05did Pook choose to launch this initiative during Ramadan? I mean Recipe
01:09for Change is an amazing campaign. First of all, we launched it in Ramadan
01:14because Ramadan is a month of giving and this whole campaign is all about giving.
01:19So imagine usually all moms, they would be looking at chefs, taking recipes, write
01:24them down and then try to copy them afterwards. This time this campaign is
01:29actually the other way around. Moms are creating the recipes, she's
01:33actually writing it down, giving it to chefs in very big and renowned Lebanese
01:37restaurants to copy her recipe in restaurants for a lot of people to try
01:43and when they try it or order it online as well, half of these proceeds actually
01:48go to affected Lebanese families. That's really great to feel like
01:53there will be as well a financial investment coming back to you. But not
01:58only that, in the restaurant while you're dining you can see a recipe written by
02:03the mom herself, signed, handwritten by her. So I think it's the first time that
02:09we are really taking moms to that level and integrating as well how the brand is
02:14used at homes by moms but as well coming all the way to restaurants with very
02:20authentic Lebanese recipes. I love it, I think it's super emotional, sentimental
02:25and I think I mean all moms around the world, not only in Lebanon, would like
02:30feel with it and and understand like the feeling of it so I think it's very nice.
02:36You said that book has always positioned itself as a brand that supports
02:41mothers. How does this initiative highlight this mission?
02:46Yeah, I mean it is one of many that I said before so it highlights it by
02:52heroing the moms that are really creating these recipes. So a lot of
02:58women in Lebanon after the war and not only in Lebanon of course all
03:01around the region, they've been attacked big time. A lot of Lebanese people are
03:05actually living abroad, more living abroad than living in the country. So
03:10imagine if she cannot travel but her recipe can travel. Imagine the feeling
03:15when she feels people are eating her recipe, not just in UAE but even a lot of
03:18other places worldwide, highlighting these important traditional recipes that
03:24we have over here. This is a lot more about the mom herself, about the woman
03:29herself, which is something we've always been doing with the Pouk brand across
03:34the years. How you said like her recipe can change, can travel, this is it's so
03:40powerful. One woman said I've lived here all my life, I've never went out of my
03:45village but I cannot believe that my recipe is now traveling all over the
03:50world with my name on it. She felt so honoured, you know, you have to see the
03:55feelings. I think we have the video of her speaking about it, it was really really
03:59touching. Wow, that's so nice. How would you say recipe for change goes beyond just a
04:06marketing campaign to create like real impact? Yeah, I mean at Pouk brand we
04:12really always try to do things that is purposeful, that is relevant to our
04:16community, to people around us. So it is not just a CSR campaign, it's not just
04:23to highlight the products, amazing products we have under the Pouk brand
04:26but as well to really touch people's lives because you as a woman when you
04:32feel like brands understand me, they come from, they speak from the heart. You
04:36will get their message back at the same time, right? So it is more that
04:41authenticity that brands are, all brands actually are aiming for but rather than
04:47just pushing a lot of advertising, just do it in a more meaningful way and I
04:52think we've been doing that over the years. This is more or less a sort of a
04:55phase two of a campaign where we did last year selfless shelves with again
04:59making people do their own recipes, put them on the shelves instead of our
05:03products just to showcase how we are you know encouraging them to do that. So it
05:11is a series of meaningful campaigns that we've been doing towards moms and women
05:17all around the region. I think women would resonate with this and not only
05:21women even like it touches and it's emotional and it's sentimental so I
05:26think I mean I watched the videos I was saying I watched the videos and I
05:32really I felt touched and I felt like I want to go now and I try them try these
05:38recipes at restaurants. Why do you think it was so important to partner with Dubai
05:42Cares for this initiative? I think Dubai Cares is an amazing organization really
05:46helping people all over the world you know so them helping us to bring back
05:51these proceeds into the right people in the right places brings in a lot of
05:56credibility and I think we are very lucky that we're partnering with them to
06:00bring back this initiative back to Lebanese women as well. Do you think
06:05Recipe for Change will go beyond Ramadan? Do you see it evolving into a long-term
06:10plan? I have a dream that this is not a one-off that is more of a series of
06:18campaigns like that definitely beyond Ramadan I mean we started with Ramadan
06:23because Ramadan is the month of giving and everyone wants to do something good
06:26and imagine just by ordering a meal for your iftar you feel like you're helping
06:32someone gives you that feel of very relevance or high relevance in Ramadan
06:37but definitely it is relevant all after Ramadan so we would love to continue
06:43with this actually afterwards and not only with Lebanese recipes I mean there
06:47are lots of Egyptian recipes, Jordanian recipes, Palestinian recipes that we
06:51would love to as well give it a shot and try it out so usually try with you know
06:57one place and then we can follow it up with others as well so I definitely see
07:02it flying off a lot higher. What do you think was the most rewarding part of
07:07this campaign for you personally? I think most of it was so rewarding I think when
07:15we saw the women's reflections when they were you know taking the video of the
07:21recipes not believing that the her Muhalabiyah that she's doing every day
07:25for her kids will travel and be eaten all over these big restaurants and we
07:32really have you know really big restaurants that were more than happy to
07:36incorporate that. That per se touched me a lot the idea of that we're doing
07:44something that is very real right these are the real moms that's what
07:49they would care about I think touched me a big time as well so I think there are
07:55lots of different angles out of that I mean her picture on a plate that people
07:59are now you know that you can get as well is very touching so I think it's a
08:04very emotional campaign. Very emotional and it's also not in one restaurant it's
08:09in multiple restaurants and you can you can order it also it's not you don't
08:13need to go and dine I was saying because I got so invested also personally I was
08:18like oh my god this is so nice and each of these women has had a specific touch
08:22to the to the recipe it was it was so nice. And they were so proud of them and
08:29there were some recipes that were not that common I mean I think Zomkol was
08:32some of our Lebanese friends they were like what is that we've never tried it
08:36so it is very authentic I guess as well. Yeah definitely I didn't know what
08:42actually yeah now that you're saying it I remember I was like what is this like I
08:46did it. Several did. I've never tried it. How does this initiative create impact beyond
08:53financial donations like to the mothers involved? I mean again it's not just a
08:58financial donation financial donation I think is one part of it but just seeing
09:01her work traveling is a big thing seeing others or at least inspiring others with
09:09her story you know that no matter what no matter what war can happen around us
09:14we move on with our lives and you know we keep on doing we keep on looking for
09:20happiness we look for optimism and look for a better future. I think that was a
09:25very important angle for for the moms as well. Yeah and it's giving and they're
09:30giving their recipes and they're sharing. Exactly yeah. What is one last thing that you would
09:35like to say about this initiative that's so dear to you and I think I
09:39believe it's so dear to everyone what how would you like to what would you
09:42like to say? I'd like to say that you know we should all brands and I'm even
09:49talking to all brands really need to do something good for their community we
09:54are here not to just sell products but to have a positive impact on the
09:58community around us be it with campaigns like these talking to real people or
10:04advising people of something that for a better future being more sustainable you
10:10know taking care of others I think that I would really plea that for all other
10:15marketeers all around. Thank you so much for being with us here today and speaking
10:20about this initiative beautiful initiative. Thank you so much Salah thank
10:23you so much