Oman- A Sweet Revolution

(MENAFN- Muscat Daily) The Jabri sisters meant serious business when they first introduced the concept of hand-crafted date-based sweets in 2011.

Four years on a strong clientèle and a café solely dedicated to date sweets reflect the determination of these entrepreneurs when they say 'We are here to stay.'

Their brand Meshan which has now become synonymous with luxury date sweets started out as an SME. The SME's growth powered by its marketing is underscored by the fact that the Jabri sisters have now come to be known as the Meshan sisters.

While Shatha and Wafa are currently taking their family business forward the other two sisters Ahed and Waad are studying abroad for a degree in hospitality management.

For them the family business spun out of the debate as to what Oman had to offer to the world

Wafa a trained IT professional speaks of the time when the sisters were inspired by His Majesty Sultan Qaboos bin Said's message to the youth to tap into the country's resources grow as entrepreneurs and contribute to the local economy.

'We sat and thought for a long while...how can we give back to our country What is it that Oman is famous for' says Wafa.

While brainstorming the sisters came across a sweet answer - dates. That's how they decided to embark upon the brand Meshan.

'The dates in the market were good but not that great to give as a gift or a souvenir from Oman. We saw this as a competitive advantage which allowed us to penetrate and stay in the market' says Wafa.

In order to develop their products the sisters researched and understood the market that they were catering to. It didn't stop at that; they realised that the combination of flavours offered at Meshan must set a creative benchmark.

'We combined unusual mixes such as lemon-flavoured date sweets. We also checked what is available in our local culture and introduced rich flavours from other culutres such as saffron' says Wafa.

As is the case for most homegrown SMEs the products were tested on family and friends. The findings were applied to develop combinations which would appeal to the palette of the local culture as well as outsiders who want a taste of Omani cuisine.

One of the amusing findings that Shatha and Wafa came across was that 'men like the combination of ginger and dates while women like rose flavoured ones'.

All their products the sisters maintain are a synergy of traditional aspects and modernity. The brand name Meshan is itself woven out of traditional Omani hospitality.

In ancient times fruits were packaged as gifts in hand-crafted boxes called meshans the sisters say.

Meshan started off in 2011 and has since gone on to receive several awards such as the Riyada Award (2014) for best SME in the trade sector and the Direct Support Programme of Zubair SEC among others. The enterprise has also represented Oman's SME sector at international exhibitions in Qatar and Singapore.

Meshan recently opened a café in Shatti al Qurum as part of its expansion.

Shatha speaks of the high-profile clientèle they cater to. 'You will find our products in the VIP lounge the first and business classes of Oman Air and on all flights to Europe.'

The sisters also established client bases at the Royal flight Bank Muscat Diwan of the Royal Court Zubair Corporation and offices of various ministries.

Meshan has grown to provide employment to locals. Its workshop in Amerat which is the fortress of highly guarded Meshan recipes also holds part time summer internship programmes for university students. The Jabri sisters say they source organic dates from Dakhliyah and Dhahirah. 'We ensure that we purchase fair trade dates to provide sustainable income to farmers' says Wafa.

As business expands the sisters are constantly planning how they can revolutionise their products tastefully.

Banana date cake and honey glaze

Ingredients
175g softened butter
200g self-raising flour
1 tsp cinnamon
100g sugar
2 eggs beaten
3 tbsp honey
2 bananas
100g dates
50g chopped walnuts

For the glaze
2 tbsp clear honey
25g butter
50g walnut

Method
Heat oven to 160°C/140°C. Put the flour cinnamon butter sugar eggs and honey in a large mixing bowl and beat with a wooden spoon or hand-held electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Mash the bananas chop the dates and walnuts and add to the cake mix.
Bake for 40-50 mins. Cool in the tin for 15 mins then turn over and cool on a wire rack.
For the glaze put the honey and butter in a small pan and boil until slightly thickened.
Remove from heat and stir in the walnuts. Leave to cool and glaze the cake.
(Courtesy: Meshan Café)