Wadi Group

Wadi Group is an Egyptian family-owned agribusiness conglomerate headquartered in Giza. Its principal activities are poultry production, animal-feed manufacturing, food processing, agricultural production, and related industrial and logistics operations. The group is organized around a collection of companies rather than a single consumer-facing brand and has been described as comprising 12 companies. The group traces its family business roots to Lebanon, where the eldest brother of the founding family began working in the poultry industry in 1957. The Lebanese Civil War caused the family to leave the country and seek refuge elsewhere in the region. Tony Freiji subsequently settled in Egypt and established Wadi Group in 1984. The business developed from an agricultural and food-production base into a vertically integrated enterprise covering inputs, farming, processing, manufacturing, and distribution. Poultry remains the group’s central business. Wadi Group operates poultry-production and processing activities, feed manufacturing, and business-to-business poultry companies such as Katkoot al Wadi and A'laf al Wadi. The group has been described as Egypt’s largest egg producer and as the largest egg-producing company in Africa, with a flock of approximately 10 million hens. Its poultry platform includes Wadi Poultry, which operates across food production, poultry processing, and animal feed. The group also has a consumer-facing food portfolio. Wadi Food produces and markets items associated with olives, olive oil, pickled foods, and other agro-food categories. Wadi Farms is another consumer-oriented agricultural brand. Wadi Food began with olive groves covering approximately 30 hectares south of Alexandria and later expanded into a broad product range of more than 100 items, with an emphasis on organic and agricultural foods. Historical production figures cited for 2015 included roughly 10,000 metric tons of pickled olives and 1,000 metric tons of olive oil annually. The brand’s products have been sold in Egypt and exported to the Gulf States, Canada, the United States, and Europe. Wadi Group’s Mazareh sector encompasses poultry and agro-food operations. Its Sina’at sector contains industrial subsidiaries and projects, including Wadi Glass, later known as Zugag, as well as Tabreed, Idafat, Asmida, and Tawseel. The group has also diversified into logistics, olive cultivation, fresh fruit and vegetable production for export, land reclamation, and aquaculture. One unusual example is Rula for Land Reclamation’s marine fish farm near Wadi El Natroun in Egypt’s Western Desert. The project adapted a site originally intended for olive cultivation after a groundwater well was found to have salinity unsuitable for conventional olive farming. The company remains controlled by the founding families, with management shared between the extended Freiji and Nasrallah families. Wadi Group has introduced a family council to coordinate communication between the business and more than 45 family members. Corporate-governance reforms were developed with guidance from the International Finance Corporation. In 2023, Japanese companies Mitsui & Co. and Prifoods invested in Wadi Poultry, with the stated aim of supporting integrated poultry production and expanding links with Japan and wider Asian markets. In December 2024, Wadi Food organized a Guinness World Record attempt involving a 62.8-meter rotating chicken grill at its annual Olive Harvest Festival, illustrating the group’s use of food and agricultural events for public engagement.

Wadi Group’s origins lie in a Lebanese family’s involvement in poultry farming. The family’s eldest brother entered the poultry industry in Lebanon in 1957. The Lebanese Civil War later forced the family to leave the country and relocate within the region. Tony Freiji eventually settled in Egypt, where he founded Wadi Group in 1984. The early business developed around agriculture and food production. Wadi Food, described as the group’s original venture, began with olive groves covering about 30 hectares approximately 85 kilometers south of Alexandria. The operation gradually expanded from olive cultivation into olive oil, pickled olives, and a wider range of packaged agro-food products. Historical information from 2015 describes annual production of approximately 10,000 metric tons of pickled olives and 1,000 metric tons of olive oil. Wadi Food subsequently built an export presence in the Gulf States, Canada, the United States, and Europe and broadened its range to more than 100 products. Poultry became the group’s main operating focus. Wadi Group built activities across poultry production, egg production, poultry processing, and animal-feed manufacturing, creating a vertically integrated agribusiness model. Its Mazareh sector includes poultry and agro-food businesses, including Katkoot al Wadi, A'laf al Wadi, Wadi Food, and Wadi Farms. The group has been characterized as the largest egg producer in Egypt and Africa, operating a flock of approximately 10 million hens. The group diversified beyond its core poultry and food operations. Its activities have included olive oil, fresh fruit and vegetable cultivation for export, logistics, land reclamation, and industrial projects. The Sina’at sector includes Wadi Glass, later known as Zugag, Tabreed, Idafat, Asmida, and Tawseel. Rula for Land Reclamation developed a marine aquaculture operation near Wadi El Natroun in the Western Desert. The site had originally been intended for olive farming, but a groundwater well produced water with salinity of about 26 grams per liter, making it unsuitable for conventional olive cultivation. The company adapted the site for marine fish farming instead. By 2014, Wadi Group was reported to operate across seven industries and employ more than 3,500 people, with a significant presence in Egypt and Sudan. Ownership and management remained concentrated in the Freiji and Nasrallah families. To address the complexity of family ownership, the company introduced a family council linking business operations with more than 45 family members. The council formed part of wider governance reforms undertaken with guidance from the International Finance Corporation. In 2023, Mitsui & Co. acquired an undisclosed stake in Wadi Poultry in partnership with Prifoods. Wadi Poultry’s operations include food production, poultry processing, and animal feed. The investment was presented as a means of expanding integrated production from feed procurement through distribution and strengthening connections with Japan and other Asian markets. In December 2024, Wadi Food’s fifth annual Olive Harvest Festival featured a 62.8-meter rotating chicken grill that could cook 390 chickens at the same time. The event was associated with a Guinness World Record and promoted the company’s agricultural activities, olive oil business, and public-facing food brands. Wadi Group therefore combines a large industrial-scale poultry platform with branded food, agriculture, and diversified family-enterprise activities.

• 2024

  Olive Harvest Festival grill record

  [1]Wadi Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Wadi Food presented a 62.8-meter rotating chicken grill at its fifth annual Olive Harvest Festival.

• 2023

  Japanese investment in Wadi Poultry

  [1]Wadi Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Mitsui & Co. and Prifoods invested in Wadi Poultry to support integrated poultry production and potential expansion toward Japan and Asian markets.

• 2014

  Diversified industrial and agricultural group

  [1]Wadi Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Wadi Group was reported to operate across seven industries and employ more than 3,500 people, with operations in Egypt and Sudan.

• 1984

  Wadi Group is founded in Egypt

  [1]Wadi Groupen.wikipedia.org

  Tony Freiji founded Wadi Group after settling in Egypt following the family’s departure from Lebanon.

• 1957

  Family enters the poultry industry in Lebanon

  [1]Wadi Groupen.wikipedia.org

  The founding family’s eldest brother began working in poultry farming in Lebanon, establishing the family’s agricultural-business roots.

A vertically integrated, family-owned Egyptian agribusiness group combining large-scale poultry and feed operations with agricultural production, food processing, export-oriented brands, and adjacent industrial businesses.

• Agro-food brand

  Wadi Food

  Wadi Food is the group’s original food venture and one of its principal consumer-facing brands. It developed from olive cultivation near Alexandria into a portfolio centered on olive oil, pickled olives, and other agricultural and organic food products. Historical figures cite annual production of approximately 10,000 metric tons of pickled olives and 1,000 metric tons of olive oil in 2015. The brand has served Egyptian consumers and export markets in the Gulf, North America, and Europe.

• Agricultural and food brand

  Wadi Farms

  Wadi Farms is a consumer-oriented agricultural brand within Wadi Group’s Mazareh sector. It represents the group’s farm-based activities and complements the poultry and processed-food businesses. Available reference material identifies the brand as part of the group’s business-to-consumer portfolio but does not provide a complete product catalogue.

• Poultry production and processing

  Wadi Poultry

  Wadi Poultry is a major subsidiary operating in food production, poultry processing, and animal feed. It forms part of Wadi Group’s integrated poultry platform, linking agricultural inputs with production, processing, and distribution. In 2023, Mitsui & Co. and Prifoods invested in the subsidiary to support further integrated development and access to Japanese and Asian markets.

• Poultry business-to-business

  Katkoot al Wadi

  Katkoot al Wadi is identified as a business-to-business company in Wadi Group’s Mazareh sector. It belongs to the group’s poultry operations and supports the broader integrated production model. The available reference material does not specify its exact product range or operating scale.

• Animal feed

  A'laf al Wadi

  A'laf al Wadi is a business-to-business animal-feed company within Wadi Group’s Mazareh sector. Its role is connected to the group’s poultry value chain and large-scale feed-manufacturing activities. Specific formulations, facilities, and distribution details are not provided in the available source material.

• Industrial materials

  Zugag

  Zugag is the name associated with Wadi Glass, an industrial subsidiary in Wadi Group’s Sina’at sector. The business represents the group’s diversification into industrial manufacturing beyond agriculture and food. The available references do not describe its current product specifications or markets in detail.

• Aquaculture

  Rula marine fish farm

  Rula for Land Reclamation operates a marine fish-farming project near Wadi El Natroun in Egypt’s Western Desert. The site was initially developed for olive cultivation, but highly saline groundwater made conventional agriculture impractical. Wadi Group adapted the location for marine aquaculture, using the available saline water as the basis for a different agricultural activity.

• 2024Olive Harvest Festival rotating chicken grill

  Egypt

  At the fifth annual Olive Harvest Festival, Wadi Food organized a 62.8-meter rotating chicken grill capable of cooking 390 chickens simultaneously. The event connected the consumer brand with the group’s olive-growing, food-production, and agricultural identity.

  Outcome. The grill was associated with a Guinness World Record and generated a prominent public event for Wadi Food.

  Source

• 2023

  Accept investment in Wadi Poultry from Mitsui & Co. and PrifoodsM&A

  Background

  Wadi Group sought to expand its integrated poultry platform, spanning feed procurement, poultry production, processing, and distribution.

  Action taken

  Mitsui & Co. acquired an undisclosed stake in Wadi Poultry in partnership with Prifoods.

  Aftermath

  The investment was intended to support expansion toward Japan and wider Asian markets. The value of the transaction was not disclosed in the available reference.

  Source

1. 1Wadi Groupen.wikipedia.org