Alrifai

Alrifai, also written as Al Rifai, is a Lebanese snack-food company best known for roasted nuts, nut products, coffee, and related food offerings. The business began in Beirut in 1948 as a home-based operation supplying roasted nuts and coffee to nearby neighborhoods. From that local origin, it developed into a retail brand and also became involved in wholesaling nuts under other brands. The company is associated with Lebanon’s nut market and is described in reference material as holding approximately 40 percent of that market. It is also characterized as the largest snacking-nut retailer in the Middle East. These descriptions place Alrifai in a specialist position within the regional packaged-snack sector, with its identity centered more on nuts and roasted products than on a broad general-grocery portfolio. A significant stage in the company’s regional development came in 1996, when Al Homaizi Foodstuff Co. of Kuwait acquired the rights to manufacture and sell Al Rifai products in the Middle East and North Africa region. The arrangement enabled the brand to expand internationally while its Middle Eastern business operated through a franchise structure associated with the Kuwait-based Kout Food Group. Alrifai subsequently maintained a combination of direct international activity, franchised regional operations, retailing, and wholesale supply. Production capacity was expanded in Lebanon in July 2013, when the company opened a plant in Halat. The facility had an annual capacity of 16,000 tonnes and was intended to consolidate local production. Alrifai also jointly owned facilities in Kuwait and Dubai with a local franchisee. Earlier, from 2006 to 2013, the company owned a Swedish factory operating as Alrifai Nutisal AB. That operation supported sales in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Benelux region. In December 2013, the Swedish factory was sold to the local confectionery company Cloetta. In 2021, Merit, the holding company of the Saadé family, acquired full ownership of Rifai. This transaction marked a change in ownership after a period in which the brand had used regional rights and franchise arrangements to support expansion. The available reference material does not establish detailed current revenue, employee numbers, store counts, executive leadership, or the precise structure of all regional manufacturing and distribution agreements. It does, however, identify Alrifai as an active Lebanese food company with a long operating history, a strong association with nuts and roasted snacks, and a regional presence extending beyond Lebanon.

Alrifai traces its origins to Beirut in 1948, when Rifai operated from a home-based setting and supplied roasted nuts and coffee to local neighborhoods. The early business established the product identity that continues to define the company: nuts prepared for retail consumption, supported by coffee and related food products. Over time, the operation expanded beyond neighborhood sales into branded retailing and wholesale supply. In addition to selling products under its own retail identity, Rifai wholesaled nuts under other brands. The company’s development increasingly involved regional licensing and franchising. In 1996, Al Homaizi Foodstuff Co. of Kuwait acquired the rights to manufacture and sell Al Rifai products in the Middle East and North Africa. Reference material describes the Middle Eastern business as having been franchised to the Kuwait-based Kout Food Group, allowing the brand to pursue international expansion while regional manufacturing and commercial activity were handled through local partners. This structure connected the Lebanese-origin brand to a broader MENA operating network. Alrifai also built a manufacturing and distribution footprint outside the Middle East. From 2006 to 2013, it owned a Swedish factory under the name Alrifai Nutisal AB. The company used that operation to sell products in Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the Benelux region. The Swedish asset was sold in December 2013 to Cloetta, a local confectionery company. The transaction represented a shift in the company’s European production arrangements, although the available material does not specify whether the related markets continued to receive Alrifai products after the sale. Lebanon remained an important production base. In July 2013, Alrifai opened a plant in Halat with an annual capacity of 16,000 tonnes. The stated purpose of the facility was to consolidate local production. The company also jointly owned facilities in Kuwait and Dubai with a local franchisee, reflecting the combination of Lebanese production and regional partner-based manufacturing. The brand is described as having approximately 40 percent of Lebanon’s nuts market and as being the Middle East’s largest snacking-nut retailer. These descriptions indicate a substantial position in its core category, although the reference material does not provide a methodology, date range, or independent market study for those figures. In 2021, Merit, the holding company of the Saadé family, acquired 100 percent ownership of Rifai. The acquisition changed the ownership of the long-established Lebanese business after decades that included regional rights arrangements, franchising, international expansion, and overseas manufacturing. Publicly available material supplied for this entry does not identify the company’s current executives, detailed legal structure, current product catalogue, financial performance, store network, or complete distribution map. Alrifai is nevertheless documented as an active Lebanese snack-food company whose principal historical and commercial association is with roasted nuts and other nut-based foods.

1. 2021Merit acquires Rifai

   Merit, the holding company of the Saadé family, acquired 100 percent ownership of Rifai.

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2. 2013Halat plant opens

   A new plant opened in Halat, Lebanon, with annual capacity stated at 16,000 tonnes to consolidate local production.

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3. 2013Swedish factory is sold to Cloetta

   Alrifai sold its Swedish factory to confectionery company Cloetta in December.

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4. 2006Swedish production operation begins

   Alrifai operated a Swedish factory under the name Alrifai Nutisal AB, supporting sales in Northern and Western Europe.

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5. 1996Regional manufacturing and sales rights are acquired

   Al Homaizi Foodstuff Co. of Kuwait acquired the rights to manufacture and sell Al Rifai products in the MENA region.

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6. 1948Rifai begins operations in Beirut

   Rifai was founded in Beirut as a home-based operation supplying roasted nuts and coffee to local neighborhoods.

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A Lebanese specialist snack-food brand focused on roasted nuts, nut products, coffee, and related foods, with regional Middle Eastern relevance and international export activity.

• Roasted nuts and nut productsSnack foods1948

  Roasted nuts and other nut-based products are the core of Alrifai’s brand identity and retail business. The company originated by supplying roasted nuts to Beirut neighborhoods and later became associated with packaged nut snacks and broader nut merchandising. The available reference does not provide a complete list of varieties, recipes, pack formats, or current product names.

• CoffeeBeverages and food products1948

  Coffee was part of the company’s original neighborhood offering alongside roasted nuts. It remains documented as one of the product areas associated with the early Rifai operation, although the available material does not establish the present breadth, format, or commercial importance of the coffee range.

• Wholesale nutsFood wholesale

  In addition to its consumer-facing retail brand, Rifai has wholesaled nuts under other brands. This activity indicates that the company’s business has included supply and distribution as well as branded snack retailing. Specific wholesale customers, volumes, and current operating arrangements are not identified in the available reference.

• 2021Transfer full ownership to MeritM&A

  After a history of regional rights arrangements, franchising, and international manufacturing, Rifai underwent a change in ownership.

  What changed. Merit, the Saadé family’s holding company, acquired 100 percent of Rifai.

  Aftermath. Merit became the documented owner of the business. The available material does not describe subsequent changes to the brand’s management, markets, or operations.

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• 2013Consolidate Lebanese production in HalatStrategy

  Alrifai’s local production activities required a consolidated manufacturing base in Lebanon.

  What changed. The company opened a new plant in Halat with stated annual capacity of 16,000 tonnes.

  Aftermath. The plant became the documented focal point for consolidating local production, while the company also maintained jointly owned facilities in Kuwait and Dubai with a local franchisee.

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• 2013Sell the Swedish manufacturing operation to CloettaM&A

  Alrifai had operated a Swedish factory under the Alrifai Nutisal AB name from 2006 to 2013, serving several European markets.

  What changed. The company sold the Swedish factory to confectionery firm Cloetta in December 2013.

  Aftermath. The sale ended Alrifai’s documented ownership of the Swedish production site. The reported transaction value was approximately 63 million US dollars, although the available reference does not provide additional deal terms.

  Reported sale value of the Swedish factory. (December 2013)

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• 1996Use regional rights and franchise arrangements for MENA expansionStrategy

  Alrifai sought international expansion while maintaining a Middle Eastern business operated through regional rights and franchise arrangements.

  What changed. Al Homaizi Foodstuff Co. of Kuwait acquired the rights to manufacture and sell Al Rifai products in the MENA region. The Middle Eastern business was subsequently associated with the Kuwait-based Kout Food Group franchise structure.

  Aftermath. The arrangement gave the Lebanese-origin brand a regional operating model based on local manufacturing, sales rights, and franchising.

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• 2021Merit acquires full ownership of Rifai

  Merit, the holding company of the Saadé family, acquired 100 percent ownership of Rifai.

  M&ALeadership change
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• 2013Alrifai opens a production plant in Halat

  Alrifai opened a new plant in Halat, Lebanon, with stated annual capacity of 16,000 tonnes. The facility was intended to consolidate local production.

  Product generationOther
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• 2013Cloetta acquires Alrifai’s Swedish factory

  Alrifai sold its Swedish factory, operated under the name Alrifai Nutisal AB, to confectionery company Cloetta. The facility had supported sales in several Northern and Western European markets.

  M&A
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1. Alrifai