Oatful: Revolutionizing UAE Breakfasts with High-Protein Oats
Yara Mersi, a 23-year-old entrepreneur and Dubai resident, is revolutionizing breakfast norms with her innovative and healthy oatmeal options. Her journey began with a personal habit of enjoying overnight oats for breakfast, a routine she carried from her early years through high school and even during her time at Cornell University in New York. Mersi's homemade oat mix, enriched with over 20 grams of protein, superfoods, and fiber, garnered attention from teachers and classmates, sparking a fondness for this nutritious breakfast option.
Now, Mersi's breakfast concoction has evolved into a disruptive force in the UAE's breakfast industry, known as Oatful. Positioned as the region's first high-protein, pre-made overnight oats, Oatful is changing the way people perceive breakfast. Mersi sees her venture not just as a consumer-packaged goods (CPG) enterprise but as a community with a heart and soul, focused on reintroducing joy into eating and pioneering nutritionally complete oatmeal.
Oatful offers eight flavors, including dark chocolate, cereal milk, vanilla beans, salted caramel, choco peanut butter, banana, chocolate brownie, carrot cake, and strawberry, with two vegan options. Currently available at 15 Spinneys stores, the products will soon be expanded to Enoc, Zoom, and Adnoc stores.
One of Oatful's groundbreaking features is the use of High-Pressure Processing (HPP) technology, revolutionizing the preservation of ready-to-eat products. This method eliminates food spoilage microorganisms, ensuring a 30-day shelf life without compromising nutrition or taste. Mersi emphasizes the health-focused approach, with no heat, pasteurization, preservatives, artificial flavors, or colors involved in the production process.
Reflecting on her journey, Mersi expresses a long-standing fascination with nutrition and oats. Disappointed by the offerings in the market, often filled with empty carbs, sugars, and cheap ingredients, she decided to challenge the status quo. From giving a TED talk at the age of 16 about the importance of food and the influence of the food industry to launching her product, Mersi aimed to prove that delicious and healthy food can coexist.
Oatful combines organic gluten-free oats, chia seeds, and flax seeds with grass-fed whey protein or pea protein. The flavors, such as cereal milk, are packaged in single-serve packets, making it a convenient and nutritious breakfast option when prepared with milk or a dairy-free alternative.
Despite the challenges, Mersi has bootstrapped her company since its inception. In 2023, she achieved a significant milestone by becoming the youngest person to apply and win the Spinneys Local Business Incubator Programme, facilitating Oatful's inclusion in supermarket listings.
As she embarks on the next phase of her entrepreneurial journey, Mersi is dedicated to fostering a paradigm shift in the realm of healthy food. Her goal is to redefine breakfast through Oatful, reintroducing the joy of starting the day right. With her innovative approach and commitment to bridging the gap between health and convenience, Yara Mersi is leaving a mark on the breakfast industry in the UAE.
For More Related Updates Please Visit Our Official Website
By- Sahiba Suri
Comments