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Peter Marshall Send an email October 19, 2023
7 minutes read

How Al Nassma’s Camel Milk Chocolate Became Positive Disruptors in Global Travel Retail

Introduction by: Peter Marshall

This is a great story. Who would have thought 15 years ago that the rather unlikely Camel Milk Chocolate caravan, based in Dubai, would have achieved the international recognition and distribution that it has now in travel retail and many domestic markets. This interview with Martin von Almsick, General Manager and Patrick Dorais, Director of Sales, celebrates their anniversary today and their success.

Just one anecdote that reflects the customer service that these two guys are capable of. At the very last minute they were given an overseas order of 130 kilos of the special Al Nassma gift boxes that they produce to be delivered for an inaugural event. Land logistics and time were against them. It would have been fun, but camel rides were not an option, either. So they loaded all the 130 kilos of product onto a plane – as passengers – and paid the inordinately high excess baggage charges. Any profits were largely wiped out, but the gifts were delivered on time and the client was very grateful. Talk about going the extra mile!

All photos are courtesy of Ralf Baumgarten.

Peter Marshall (PM):  Gentlemen, welcome to trunblocked.com. Al Nassma celebrates 15 years this week, very many congratulations. It’s a unique brand. Martin, can I start this conversation by asking you how you got into the business of camel milk chocolate in the first place?

Martin von Almsick (MVA):  Dubai has an amazing characteristic in that it brings people together from all walks of life and from all geographies and encourages them to create something new and something better. The Government of Dubai had opened the first state-of-the-art camel farm and we chocolate people benefitted from that and could create this unique concept. Not many countries in the world can claim that they have created their very own special chocolate, closely related to their culture and heritage. Switzerland comes to mind, certainly France or also Belgium. Now the UAE has joined the list of premium chocolate-producing and exporting countries. A major achievement which 15 years ago many people would not have believed to be possible.

PM: What, then, have been the major milestones in the business?

MVA: From a Travel Retail perspective a crucial moment was when we got our first, iconic golden camel POS displays into Dubai Duty Free and immediately found that it worked in attracting customers into the confectionery aisles driving footfall and conversion and as we tend to believe benefitted the entire world of chocolates on display.

 

 

  Another beautiful moment happened when we finally managed in a concerted effort involving the UAE Ministry of Environment and Water, Dubai Municipality and the camel farm – Camelicious – and the UAE Central Veterinary Research Laboratory to convince 27 EU member states to raise their arms and permit the import of camel milk from the UAE.Patrick Dorais (PD): Patrick:  Japan – our first export market 2009, then entering high street retailers like KaDeWe, Harrods, Selfridges – developing new markets globally year-on-year, coming stronger out of the global pandemic that was Covid-19, and proving that the idea of camel milk chocolate very much has legs and is not just a passing fad.

 

 

 

PM: Let’s go back to when you started. What makes camel milk so different from what is out there in the marketplace. Does it embrace the Trinity concept?

PD: We like to believe that we invented a new category of chocolate – camel milk – and that we today still dominate it fully and have expanded with the Samha brand into choco-date extensions and have many more surprises up our sleeve.

 
 

 

So basically a “Trinity” concept of sorts: a new category of camel milk chocolate, a destination gift and memento of a journey, and high quality product  second-to-none – encapsulating the spirit of Dubai and what Dubai stands for.
We are NOT just taking a domestic pack and changing the weight or putting on a different sleeve… this is a true TR exclusive and only sold in TR or TR-related. For example, in KaDeWe Kaufhaus des Westens in Berlin, the top European department store, or Harrods and Selfridges pre-Covid, or again Julius Meinl am Graben in Vienna. These are domestic outlets but they are more travel-destination-shopping opportunities than your weekly stop in a Lidl or Tesco.

PM: So, would you claim that you have invented a new category for chocolate?

MVA: The chocolate industry is certainly not plagued by an endless flow of innovation. The last one was probably the invention of Ferrero’s Kinder Egg. Camel milk chocolate is an innovation –  not by pure chance coming out of a very innovative and energetic part of the world. And is a new category in its own right. Our chocolate is based on deeply rooted tradition and offers a product which is synonymous for a lifestyle of the past that is dearly held by the people of the Gulf. The camel is held in high esteem and is the symbol for an entire region.

PM: One would immediately think that a product range such as yours would be limited to Middle Eastern countries. You are Dubai based, after all. But the fact is that it is now distributed globally – in both domestic and travel retail. Patrick, what are the key reasons that travel retailers are giving you for listing Al Nassma?

PD:  Retailers looking for unique concepts understand our proposition – we  convince them with the quality of Al Nassma chocolates in terms of recipe, packaging and price point – all of which complement their product mix.

PM: The beauty of your product is that the displays genuinely stand out and fully encapsulate the brand’s DNA.  But not many actually know the elements and the quality of the ingredients that go into the making of each of your chocolate bars. Patrick?

PD: Yes, one of the main reasons that we have established ourselves in the premium aisles of 5-star retailers is certainly the fact that due to the low milk fat content of camel milk and the slight saltiness, our chocolates have a distinctly different and pleasant mouthfeel. Al Nassma is therefore not just another chocolate but has a very special, clearly detectable character, complemented by a dash of wonderful and expensive acacia honey and Bourbon vanilla. Our customers understand and taste this difference and are willing to spend the premium.

PM: Just an ancillary question on the display. It delivers a wow factor certainly. But how much of a difference does it make to enticing traffic?

PD:  The displays work in interrupting the passenger journey, triggering that moment of intrigue which attracts customers into the confectionery aisles and helps drive penetration and conversion. We currently have 30 displays in 18 airport locations and we do believe these benefit the entire category with a unique visual contact.

PM: Moving on. Because of the nature of the sourcing and manufacturing process, has price become an issue?

PD: Should our existing retailers check their files, they will be happy to see we haven’t budged on pricing in over a decade.  The camel milk powder – by far the most expensive single raw material component, is priced so high – relatively – that increases in cocoa or hazelnuts or sugar don’t factor much in the final calculation.

PM: So, Martin, back to you. Just how sustainable is the brand and do you think that it matters?

MVA: We have to focus on the big picture and have to protect the interests and the well-being of our partners, the cocoa farmers, in our very own long-term interest. Shareholder value and quarterly reports can no longer be the sole focus. The word “sustainability” in every PR release is not appropriate when obviously our industry is involved in and associated with multiple issues such as deforestation, forced child labour, use of banned pesticides and loss of biodiversity. We are far from being perfect but are committed to do the right thing in every aspect of our operation.

Local production of locally-inspired innovative confectionery is the task of our generation. The concept of shipping containers full of cheap sugar-fat mixes flavoured with cocoa powder around the globe is dead. Let’s act accordingly.

PM: It could be said that you currently have an exclusive, yet somewhat limited range. You currently distribute to more than a dozen countries. Has your factory got the capacity to cope with your burgeoning expansion plans? And would this be a nice problem to have?

MVA: In our part of the world there is no shortage of people who look for a career in chocolate. We do our part as well when it comes to training on the job. I am proud to say that we kept all our colleagues during the pandemic and building up further capacity the way we have done in the past with people who share our passion for what we do is our privilege. We have a lot of respect and admiration for our machines, old and new, but in the end at Al Nassma it is us people who craft the chocolates.

PM: So what about new products? What’s in store from Al Nassma that the global travel retail business can look forward to?

MVA: We have spotted a few niches in a changing customer profile. The world of chocolate is slowly shifting to the East and the South. And in Dubai we are strategically placed to be in a position to actively work on this global shift in customer base and product preferences. We have a few fascinating projects which we are working on currently. Travel Retail is always in our minds when creating new products and brands. So please watch this space for some interesting and indulgent product (and brand) launches.

PM: One final question, if there are three things you want to say to the global travel retail community, what would they be?

MVA: When we started and presented our concept to DDF which was just an idea 16 years ago, about 90 seconds in the presentation at Dubai Duty Free it was met with the astonishing words by the buyer: “You got me Martin, we will take it.” I wish from the travel retail industry more of this kind of experimental mindset. Newcomers need friends! DDF, DFS, Dufry, Lagardere have been such close friends throughout the years to us and, if I may say: we did not disappoint them. I wish for all the new chocologists with innovative proposals friends – just as we had them 15 years ago.

PD: Travel retailers should be more open to local food and niche brands, we will be complementary and incremental. Our kind of brands don’t cannibalize core purchases but rather add to the basket and help to grow the pie.

 

 

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Peter Marshall Send an email October 19, 2023
7 minutes read

Peter Marshall

Founder: trunblocked.com/Marshall Arts
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