Abdullah Al Mazrouei is the master of spices

The Abu Dhabi entrepreneur, who recently launched his Emirati spice brand Danat on the market, talks about what sets his secret mixes apart.

Abdullah Al Mazrouei says he uses his mother’s recipes as the benchmark when mixing spices together. Mona Al Marzooqi / The National

When the first range of Emirati spices and food mixes made their debut in the UAE last month, it was just the beginning, says the company’s ­founder.

“I have always had this dream,” says Abdullah Al Mazrouei, “which is to be in every kitchen in the world.”

Fiercely proud of his country’s ­cuisine, Al Mazrouei wants to showcase his favourite flavours.

“My goal is to represent Emirati cuisine in a modern and classy way,” he says. His company produces 13 spices and ready-made mixes, but at least 40 additional products are in the works. Included in Danat’s line of 10 spice mixes are Arabic, barbecue and biryani spices, Emirati curry and maternal post spice, a herb-based spice that new mums can add to hot drinks and soups.

In addition, there are three ready-made mixes for chebab (Emirati pancakes), Arabic bread (with saffron and cardamom) and kanfrosh (spongy, ­doughnut- like cupcakes).

They come in 250g packages, to which cooks add a few staple ingredients, such as eggs, oil and milk.

The ingredients are mixed by shaking them in the container, then the mixture is poured into a mould and baked, which means even inexperienced cooks can whip up ­authentic Emirati food.

“In the past decade, we have seen numerous local companies selling spices, but none sell the [ready-made mixtures],” Al Mazrouei says. “I am proud to be the first ever to introduce them to the Emirati market.”

The price of the spices range from Dh12 to Dh15 for 100g, while the mixes cost Dh17.

Al Mazrouei says more mixes will be available soon, including waffles, saffron-flavoured cupcakes and crepes.

Al Mazrouei uses his mum’s recipes as a reference for all of his spices and mixes. “You can see me mixing all the spices under my mum’s supervision,” says the 33-year-old. “She is my number one source of ­inspiration.”

The products are all made in a small factory, about 20 minutes from Dalma Mall.

Al Mazrouei says he doesn’t want to risk revealing any of the secrets of his coveted recipes by sharing them with his staff. “Every day, I finish my government work at 4pm. I come to the factory and mix the recipes and spices by myself.” Coming up with the recipes was not easy.

“Our mums don’t use measurements like us,” Al Mazrouei says. “They just know the right amount by instinct. It took me so long to get the right measurements of each ingredient. I had to repeat the measurements several times until finally I got it right.”

Al Mazrouei also wanted to get Danat’s image and message just right. The word ‘danat’ means a group of precious black pearls (the singular ‘Dana’ is a popular Emirati name). “I wanted an Emirati name that would represent preciousness,” he says. “Danat seemed just right.”

His need to get things just right is also evident in the logo. Al Mazrouei sought help from a friend in Italy to design it. “I sent him a couple of old ­pictures of life in the Emirates,” he says. “He has a great eye. He captured the burqa the ladies were wearing, and from there the logo was born.”

So far, Al Mazrouei says the feedback about Danat’s products has been very positive.

“I am happy to see my foreign friends actually loading their travelling bags with Danat products before going to their home countries,” he says.

Al Mazrouei is also promoting his products a taste of home for Emiratis who are studying and working abroad. The packaging features a small picture of an airplane with the words “Let me be your travel companion”.

Al Mazrouei has big plans for the future, including hopes of expanding internationally.

“I want to be successful in my business,” he says. “I am ­definitely thinking of expanding. My next step is to open a ­bigger factory in China and expand to a bigger level.”

• Danat products are available in major supermarkets including Lulu and Abu Dhabi Cooperative Society. Danat products will also soon be on sale in Qatar and Italy