Edita Food Industries Inaugurates its First Overseas Production Facility in Morocco Operated by Edita Food Industries Morocco

The inauguration of the Morocco facility marks a key milestone in Edita’s regional expansion plans, expanding the company’s presence in the dynamic Moroccan market

Edita Food Industries S.A.E. (EFID.CA on the Egyptian Exchange and EFID.L on the London Stock Exchange), a leader in the Egyptian packaged snack food market, announced today the inauguration of its manufacturing facility in the Kingdom of Morocco. Located near the city of Casablanca, the state-of-the-art facility is Edita’s first overseas production facility outside of Egypt. The official inauguration of the facility, which commenced operations in December 2021, is a major milestone in the company’s regional expansion strategy and solidifies its position as a multi-country player in the Arab region.

The inauguration was attended by His Excellency Moroccan Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour, His Excellency Egyptian Ambassador Yasser Ossman, Edita Chairman Eng. Hani Berzi, Dislog Chairman Mr. Moncef Belkhayat and Edita’s distinguished Board of Directors.

Edita’s Morocco facility is owned and operated by Edita Food Industries Morocco in partnership with Dislog Group a leading Moroccan FMCG distributor. Dislog operates one of Morocco’s largest FMCG distribution networks with wide coverage across all channels, a key strength that greatly benefitted Edita when it first entered the Moroccan market in 2019 with its wafer’s exports and that will continue to play a major role in the success of Edita’s now locally manufactured products in Morocco. Edita is the majority owner of Edita Food Industries Morocco, with a 77% stake, while Dislog holds a stake of 20%.

On this occasion, Mr. Mezzour emphasized: “Under the leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God bless him, Morocco’s industrial platform is defying the prevalent global economic condition to confirm, once again, its competitive strength and its attractiveness in the MENA region. This mutually beneficial Moroccan-Egyptian joint-venture will undoubtedly contribute to strengthening our food manufacturing position, by developing exports in the Moroccan Berrechid region and offering employment opportunities to its youth. This partnership, which we have supported, has capitalized on the strengths of the Moroccan agri-food sector and is in line with its future priorities to meet global consumer demands.”

Commenting on the launch, Edita Chairman Eng. Hani Berzi said: “Edita’s aim has always been to capitalize on our agile business model and transform our company into a multi-country institution to capture regional growth opportunities. Our goal is to build businesses in countries that share our values and our economic potential, and Morocco is the first step in fulfilling this goal. To date, our initial investment has reached MAD 203 million in the first phase of this facility, and we plan to make additional investments over the coming years to fuel future expansions. The facility currently employs 300 Moroccan citizens and will be creating an additional 400 employment opportunities. Additionally, we have plans for a second phase with a budget of 170 million dirhams, which will add an extension of 12,000 square meters and create an additional 400 job opportunities. Together with our partners the Dislog Group, we look forward to capitalizing on Morocco’s young and fast-growing population and presenting them with a growing array of Edita’s unique and innovative products that cater to consumers evolving tastes.”

Mr. Moncef Belkhayat, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Dislog Group and Edita Morocco, further added: “We are very excited to be kickstarting this new phase in our long and fruitful partnership with Edita. The Dislog Group’s strong on the ground presence and distribution network that reaches over 72,000 outlets along with Edita’s technical know-how and diverse product portfolio equip our new venture with the necessary tools to succeed. Together our partnership will deepen Edita Morocco’s exposure in the Kingdom and extract new opportunities from Morocco’s fast-growing food snack market valued at approximately USD 500 million. We look forward to replicating Edita’s decades-long success in the highly competitive Egyptian food snack market right here in Morocco.”

The facility commenced commercial operations in December 2021 and currently produces three variations of Edita’s flagship HOHOs brands, with plans to install additional production lines and diversify the product offering in Morocco in the near future. Edita Morocco lays the foundation for future expansion across the MENA region and supports Edita’s transformation into a multi-country institution.