A Scottish candy producer sees the income of its fudge and toffee surge in Iraq. What’s feeding that growing popularity?
In northern Iraq, stores are dashing to fill their shelves with candies. The Islamic holiday of Eid al-Adha, or Festival of the Sacrifice, is approaching – and it’s miles an essential part of the 12 months for confectionery corporations. In Iraqi Kurdistan, as elsewhere, the 4-day competition, which begins on Sunday, is a time for birthday party and feasting – and chocolates are very lots on the menu. That’s good news for Sulaymaniyah-based businessman Farhad Haseeb, who sells confectionery to upmarket stores in Erbil and Dohuk and different cities and towns inside the location. “In our lifestyle, each person buys very candy things to provide to their guests while they’re touring their houses,” he says. “Toffee is a prevalent preference for Kurdish humans, especially at Ramadan and Eid.”
Iraqi Kurdistan profile
What is Eid al-Adha?
And households across Iraqi Kurdistan may be tucking into sweets that have been made 2,600 miles away in Scotland. Greenock-based confectioner Golden Casket, which might be satisfactorily acknowledged inside the UK for its Millions logo, is one of Mr. Haseb’s predominant international providers. He first related up with the Scottish company several years ago at a confectionery change display and has been ordering growing amounts of its Halal-certified fudge, chocolate eclairs, and diverse toffees each yr. Iraq is now Golden Casket’s third-biggest export market, after America and Ireland. Every week, the family-owned company produces about 70 tonnes of toffees, boilings, fudges, chocolates, and chews. So ways this 12 months, it has despatched extra than 60 tonnes of its Buchanan’s logo sweets to the location.
So what’s behind the success of Scottish toffee in Iraqi Kurdistan?
“In our tradition, eclairs and butter toffees are very popular,” says Mr. Haseb. “We purchase them from Belgium and Poland; however, Scottish toffee is excellent – it is extra chewy. We are selling increasingly every 12 months.” Mr. Haseb, whose business enterprise Arak Garden imports more than two hundred tonnes of toffee and chocolate a yr, expects to vicinity extra orders with Golden Casket this 12 months. The Scottish organization also acknowledged within the UK for its “One Pounders” baggage, has been modified to cater to the developing Iraqi market.
It recently installed new machinery to enhance its chocolate eclair manufacturing capability. The agency has also been paying close attention to the packaging of merchandise for the Iraqi marketplace. Sales supervisor Stuart Rae explains: “Each jar of toffee or fudge has were given to be gold-wrapped – gold being a signal of satisfactory – and it must be made within the UK. “That’s the high-quit stuff for the Kurdish market in Iraq.” Golden Casket’s handling director Crawford Rae, who is also chairman of Greenock Morton Football Club, sees Iraq and the surrounding location as an “outstanding opportunity”.
He says: “We exhibited in Dubai for the primary time in November – it’s an emerging marketplace and one which we want to break into, and export is a growth capacity for us.” The Kurdish link is a welcome one for Golden Casket, specifically as the overall confectionery marketplace in the UK stays noticeably flat in the meantime.
