Mezzan Holding KSC Signs Agreement with Nathan’s Famous to Manufacture Halal Hot Dogs

(MENAFN- Editorial) Mezzan Holding KSC, one of the largest manufacturers and distributors of food and beverage products in the Gulf, announced today it has signed a licensing, manufacturing and distribution agreement with Nathan''s Famous, Inc., an American company specializing in hot dogs serving New York favorites for more than 100 years.

Under the agreement Mezzan Holding''s subsidiary, Khazan Meat Factory, will produce a five-piece pack and an eight-piece pack of hot dogs for both retail and foodservice vendors in the Gulf region. Khazan is recognized as a leading brand in the Gulf region renowned for its state-of-the-art meat production division that features locally manufactured, fresh, and premium Halal ingredients. Coupled with Mezzan''s far-reaching distribution abilities via its subsidiaries and long-standing relationships with private and cooperative supermarkets and food services including multinational fast-food chains, this agreement sets Nathan''s Famous on a fast track for growth in the Gulf.

Lindsay Wakefield, Commercial Director of Mezzan Holding said: ''We are very excited to be working with Nathan''s Famous as their distributor for the region. With Nathan''s strong heritage in the USA and Mezzan''s manufacturing, marketing, and distribution footprint in the region, this collaboration will allow consumers in the Middle East to enjoy the flavor of New York. Mezzan''s expertise in the region will ensure the hot dog range available locally is 100% Halal to suit our local consumer needs.''

James Walker, SVP, Restaurants of Nathan''''s Famous, Inc. said: ''We believe our partnership with Mezzan provides a wealth of advantages for the Nathan''''s Famous brand in and around the Gulf region, from growth opportunity to the ability to provide a quality Halal product to our fans in the region. Through its storied history, Mezzan has worked with some of the world''s best-known consumer manufacturers to bring their products to the GCC, and we''re thrilled to add Nathan''s to the distinguished list of brands and expand our reach throughout the UAE and beyond.''

(ENDS)

About Mezzan Holding:
●Operates in seven countries through 30 subsidiaries with more than 9,000 employees
●Distributes over 34,000 Stock Keeping Units (SKU), making it one of the largest operators in terms of SKUs, unit sales, market share and in terms of share of revenues of total consumer spending in consumer categories served by the company
●Active in various segments of the consumer staple industry supported by long-standing relationships with Johnson & Johnson, Kimberly-Clark, Reckitt Benckiser, General Mills, Arla Foods, Sara Lee and many other leading brands and manufacturers
●Serves over 120,000 meals a day in Kuwait and Qatar through its catering business
●Has a total of 190,000 square meters in food, beverage and FMCG manufacturing facilities in Kuwait, Qatar, UAE and Afghanistan
●Leverages long-standing relationships with private and cooperative supermarkets
●Vertically integrated into complementary business operations, including packaging, catering, contract services and logistics
●Food services customers include multinational fast food chains, airline catering services and large food services companies

Mezzan Holding is a 75-year old company that was listed on the Kuwait Stock Exchange in the second quarter of 2015. The company is headquartered in Kuwait with direct operational activities in Kuwait, UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, and Afghanistan.

About Nathan''s Famous:
Nathan''s is a Russell 2000 Company that currently distributes its products in 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and 11 foreign countries through its restaurant system, foodservice sales programs and product licensing activities. Last year, over 700 million Nathan''s Famous hot dogs were sold. Nathan''s was ranked #22 on the Forbes 2014 list of the Best Small Companies in America and was listed as the Best Small Company in New York State in October 2013.

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