Sadia Halal: Investing in the Future of Food in Saudi Arabia

As Saudi Arabia accelerates its ambitions around food security, industrial development, and becoming a global halal hub under Vision 2030, food companies are increasingly being recognized as long-term strategic partners in national transformation. 

Against this backdrop, MBRF Global Foods Company and Halal Products Development Company (HPDC), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Public Investment Fund (PIF), completed a landmark transaction earlier this year to establish Sadia Halal— one of the largest global multi-protein companies within the halal food sector, and one of the world’s largest halal food businesses.

In this interview, Marquinhos Molina, Chairman of Sadia Halal, discusses the strategic significance of the transaction, the company's long-term vision for Saudi Arabia, and the opportunities shaping the future of the global halal food industry.

1- What makes Saudi Arabia strategically important for Sadia Halal’s long-term strategy?

Saudi Arabia, alongside the broader GCC and MENA regions, lies at the heart of Sadia Halal's long-term strategy. The Kingdom has tremendous momentum today, driven by strong consumer demand, ambitious national priorities, and a clear focus on food security, industrial development, and halal leadership. 

For Sadia Halal, Saudi Arabia is much more than a commercial market. We see long-term opportunity here and the possibility to grow alongside the Kingdom's transformation journey. Importantly, we also see strong alignment between Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 and the role we believe food companies should play today. Beyond supplying products, we have a responsibility to contribute to long-term resilience, local capability building, and sustainable growth.

At the same time, our ambition extends across the GCC and MENA, building our longstanding presence and deep legacy in the Middle East. We see significant potential to strengthen our presence further and deliver trusted multi-protein food products that meet the evolving needs of consumers across the region. 

2- Sadia Halal is positioned as a multi-protein food company. What does that mean in practice?

Consumer expectations and lifestyles are changing rapidly, particularly in evolving markets such as Saudi Arabia. Families today are looking for greater convenience, variety, and trusted food solutions that fit modern lifestyles.

Our role as a multi-protein food company reflects those changing consumer needs and habits. While poultry remains a core strength for us — and we are proud to be the world’s largest halal poultry producer — Sadia Halal brings together a broad multi-protein portfolio, offering variety of value-added products with greater convenience. 

This includes continued innovation and ongoing investment in operational scale and supply capabilities. At the same time, one thing has remained constant throughout this evolution: the importance of trust. Consumers want products they can rely on every day in terms of quality, consistency, and halal integrity. 

That trust is reflected in our brands. Sadia is the preferred brand and market share leader in Saudi Arabia, demonstrating the strong connection the brand has built with Saudi consumers over many years.

3- What role do you believe companies like Sadia Halal play in supporting food security and the sector’s resilience?

At Sadia Halal, we believe food security starts with ensuring that families can trust that the food they rely on every day will continue to be available, accessible, safe and high quality – regardless of external factors that may impact supply chains.

For us, this means continuing to invest in local production, manufacturing, logistics, and partnerships that strengthen supply chain reliability. As a large-scale food company, we have an important responsibility to help build the capabilities and infrastructure needed to ensure that continuity. 

This is important as it directly supports Saudi Arabia’s broader ambitions under Vision 2030, where food security and supply chain resilience are national priorities. 

4- Sadia Halal has been increasing its investment footprint in Saudi Arabia, with a  new $160 million plant in Jeddah opening soon. What does this milestone represent for the company?

The Jeddah factory represents a major milestone for Sadia Halal and reflects our long-term confidence in Saudi Arabia. With the capacity to produce 40,000 tons of processed and convenient food products annually, it will significantly strengthen our local manufacturing capabilities and bring production closer to the market we serve.

Central to the factory will be its Innovation Center, bringing together research, advanced technology, and local talent to develop solutions tailored to the needs of the Saudi market. The investment will also contribute to local job creation and the continued development of the Kingdom’s food manufacturing ecosystem.

Ultimately, this is about building a stronger local food supply chain. By expanding our manufacturing footprint in the Kingdom, we are strengthening our ability to serve the market while contributing to Saudi Arabia’s broader food security and industrial development ambitions. 

5- Regarding the recent announcement that was made around the financial closing of the Sadia Halal transaction, how significant is this milestone?

The establishment of Sadia Halal, following the financial close of the transaction valued at approximately SAR 8 billion, represents a defining strategic milestone for us.

In partnership with the Halal Products Development Company (HPDC), we are building a leading global halal food platform grounded in quality, scale and trust. By combining MBRF’s international expertise, trusted brands and operational footprint with HPDC’s strategic vision and investments, Sadia Halal is well positioned to pursue growth across the GCC and broader MENA regions.

Importantly, this partnership also supports more resilient supply chains and the continued development of Saudi Arabia’s halal ecosystem and broader economic transformation.

6- Saudi Arabia has ambitious plans to strengthen its position as a global halal hub. Why do you believe the Kingdom is well positioned to achieve its goals here?

Saudi Arabia is strongly positioned to play a leading role in the future of the global halal industry. The Kingdom combines ambitious leadership, a strategic location connecting major global markets, growing industrial and logistics capabilities.

As global demand for halal products continues to grow, there is a significant opportunity to build globally competitive production platforms in Saudi Arabia that serve both regional and international markets while maintaining the highest standards of halal integrity.

Sadia Halal can contribute to this ambition by combining MBRF’s global food manufacturing expertise with HPDC’s strategic vision for developing the Kingdom’s halal ecosystem. 

Our journey is only beginning. We have a strong foundation, a clear vision, and we look forward to helping shape the next chapter of the global halal industry.