By: Hania Serry, Chief Marketing Officer, Savola Foods

A Defining Shift in 2025

2025 was not simply a year of evolution; it was a year of reorientation. 

The consumer value equation in MENA shifted more dramatically than at any point in recent memory. We saw value expand beyond functionality and price to encompass cleaner nutrition, ingredient transparency, responsible packaging, cultural fluency, digital ease, and—above all—brand equity with purpose, not just presence.

This shift intensified as private labels grew in quality and credibility, and discounters shaped new perceptions of value. Consumers compared more sharply, scrutinized more deeply, and rewarded brands that enriched their daily lives—not just their shopping baskets.

A defining accelerant of this new value landscape is the region’s demographic profile. With one of the youngest populations globally, brands must operate across two horizons:

  1. Safeguarding trust among today’s core household decision-makers, and
  2. Building relevance with tomorrow’s growth consumers, who expect modernity, sustainability, and authentic inspiration.

A compelling example of this dual relevance is the evolution of Afia under its new platform “Discover Better.”
This idea became the brand’s organizing force in 2025:

  1. Equity Restage – Afia redefined its voice, connecting more meaningfully with younger consumers while reinforcing its heritage with long-standing households.
  2. Biodegradable Bottle – The region’s first biodegradable edible oil bottle transformed sustainability from a corporate principle into an everyday kitchen reality.
  3. Afia Kitchen Platform – A vibrant ecosystem where influencer chefs and real consumers share stories, rituals, and recipes—shifting Afia from a product into a cultural space.
  4. Continued growth into Tuna, Spices, and Snacking – Extending Afia’s idea of “better” into more daily food moments.

This widening ambition mirrors a broader shift across Savola. We are investing in brand equities more than ever before – including Arabi, Rawaby, Ganna, and Bayara – each shaping modern food experiences across the region.

Underpinning all of this, is the rise of AI and e-commerce, now central to understanding consumers, localizing content, and creating frictionless engagement—especially for digital-native younger households. But one truth remained constant: technology amplifies brands that stand for something; it does not define them.

Prediction for 2026

2026 will be the year Value-Centric Branding becomes the primary competitive driver in MENA. Brands will need to deliver value across functional, nutritional, emotional, and societal dimensions—anchored by equity that is earned continuously across generations. 2026 will be the year the market clearly separates brands that are simply available from those that are truly preferred. 

Three Forces That Will Shape This Shift: 

  1. AI + e-commerce as the new architecture of relevance, driving personalization, adaptive creativity, and seamless omnichannel journeys.
  2. Trust and affinity as decisive strategic currencies. Consumers will seek clarity, reliability, and emotional reassurance amid economic and information complexity. 
  3. Sustainability as a lived expectation: Cleaner formulations, reduced or biodegradable packaging, and tangible responsibility—amplified by innovations like Afia’s biodegradable bottle—will shape trust and choice.

The brands that win in MENA’s next chapter will be those that empower consumers to discover better in their routines, their food journeys, and their vision for the future.