Breaking: First advertisement for halal products aired on Flemish television coinciding with the start of Ramadan
On Monday evening, around the program ‘Stukken van Mensen’ on Play4, the first 30-second commercial for halal products was aired on Flemish television. This happened on the eve of the annual Ramadan, to which the commercial refers. Ramadan, during which Muslims fast between sunrise and sunset, begins today and lasts until Wednesday, May 12.
With the commercial, which will be broadcast fifty times on Play4, 5, 6, and 7 until April 25, Belgian entrepreneur with Moroccan roots, Samir El Kasmi, CEO of the food company Kasmifood from Kapellen, aims to reach out to non-Muslims, just like the Dutch-speaking Muslim girl in the ad, and expand his market to businesses that do not yet have his halal spreads and other halal food products in their assortment.
Market potential
The Kasmi brand is already well-known among Muslim businesses that sell sandwiches, Muslim bakers, and supermarkets. In 2007, the now 42-year-old Samir El Kasmi from Schilde started his company producing halal chicken curry, halal chicken andalouse, halal filet americain, and eighteen other halal spreads. From the production and distribution of his products, he now achieves a turnover of 5.5 million euros and aims to grow to 35 million euros within five years. To achieve this, he is investing in new machines and will further expand the Kasmi range with halal products produced under his supervision by others.
His 1,700 square-meter factory on Energielaan in Kapellen, where he employs four staff, has a production capacity of 30 tons per week. In his distribution center in Deurne, he employs seven staff. In Belgium, the Netherlands, and Northern France, he has grown to become the market leader in halal spreads, a product that Muslims were not familiar with.
“Bread spreads for Muslims were limited, and still are in ‘native’ supermarkets and other places, to chocolate spread, jam, butter, peanut butter, and cheese spread,” says Samir El Kasmi. “With a ‘Belgian’ product that was not part of my and other Muslims’ food culture, I want to conquer the rest of Belgium and the world. I am convinced that the export of the Kasmi brand can be successful because there are Muslims all over the world who have never eaten a spread. I also want to entice non-Muslims and the supermarkets where they shop to try halal spreads, which, due to their seasoning, can also appeal to non-Muslims. In every market, the first mover has an advantage over those who come later.”
“My products have generated additional revenue and employment at Muslim supermarkets and bakers,” states El Kasmi. “The bakers used to only sell bread and pastries. Muslim sandwich shops did not exist when I started my company. My spreads have led to the establishment of such businesses. Today, you can find our products in almost every Muslim bakery, supermarket, and sandwich shop. In addition to the spreads, I expanded my range with products such as halal turkey ham, cheese, and mayonnaise.”
Continue to grow
“As a next step, we want to expand to Delhaize, Albert Heijn, Colruyt, Lidl, Carrefour and other supermarkets,” says El Kasmi. “The Carrefour Market at the Kioskplaats in Hoboken is pioneering the sale of our products and confirms the potential of halal food. To take advantage of this, I am now bringing the first commercial for a halal product on Flemish television.
Where others have failed in the field of halal, I want to succeed. We have knowledge of the halal market, experience and our figures prove consumer confidence in the Kasmi brand”
“About seven percent of the Belgian population is Muslim, so the ‘native’ supermarkets are actually losing sales,” says El Kasmi. According to him, amusement parks, indoor playgrounds, schools, hospitals, prisons and events also pay too little attention to what Muslims eat.
Christmas
At the end of the commercial, which was made by the production house Moviebank Productions, the girl wishes
the viewer a happy Ramadan. “Just as you wish everyone a Merry Christmas, Muslims wish everyone a Happy Ramadan, regardless of whether you are religious or what faith you follow,” El Kasmi says. “Ramadan is the most beautiful month of the year for me and other Muslims. Both young and old are looking forward to it. It is a month of being together and reflecting on life that passes quickly. I hope that the spot can also make young people realize that anything is possible if you work hard and respond to the society in which we live.”
Reporter Bart Inslegers @factivity be
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