Exclusive interview with İnanç Işık, General Manager – Retail, Kerry Middle East

You’ve spoken about the balance between taste, functionality, and sustainability. What technological advances are helping Kerry achieve sustainable innovation without compromising flavour or performance?

At Kerry, sustainability and taste are inseparable. Our Tastesense™ portfolio enables up to 50% sugar and salt reduction while preserving flavour integrity. We combine biotechnology, fermentation, and enzymology to extend shelf life and reduce food waste, supporting circular economy goals. Proprietary tools like Kerry NutriGuide model nutritional impact during reformulation, ensuring healthier profiles without trade-offs. These innovations are embedded in our Smart Taste™ platform, which addresses cost, supply, and regulatory pressures while maintaining indulgent taste. For example, our Cocoa Booster technology allows up to 20% cocoa reduction, mitigating volatility and lowering carbon footprint without compromising sensory experience.

Ingredient volatility — such as fluctuating cocoa and sugar prices — remains a major industry challenge. How is Kerry using R&D and data-led formulation to help manufacturers manage supply and cost risks?

Cocoa prices have surged by over 300% in the past year, and sugar markets remain highly volatile due to global supply constraints and regulatory pressures. Kerry addresses these challenges through a combination of predictive formulation tools like NutriGuide and advanced ingredient technologies.

For cocoa, our Cocoa Booster solutions enable up to 20% cocoa reduction without compromising indulgent taste or compliance. For sugar, our Tastesense™ technology delivers up to 50% sugar reduction, helping manufacturers manage cost exposure without compromising on taste while meeting consumer demand for healthier profiles.

These strategies not only reduce reliance on volatile raw materials but also improve manufacturing efficiency, delivering cost savings of up to 24% in bakery applications, while ensuring consistent quality, sustainability, and great taste.

Kerry’s approach to innovation often begins in foodservice before scaling to retail. How does this process work in practice, and what tools or insights make it effective?

Foodservice is our innovation incubator. Concepts validated in quick-service and casual dining channels, where trends emerge fastest, are adapted for retail using Taste Charts, Trendspotter AI, and Kerry Kalaido®, our generative AI concepting tool. These tools accelerate ideation-to-launch by combining consumer insights, sensory science, and chef-led prototyping. At Gulfood, we showcased Gold Brew Qahwa and Nashville Chicken Chips, examples of foodservice-inspired ideas scaled for retail through Kerry’s integrated RD&A network and global manufacturing footprint.

With the rise of GLP-1 health trends and growing demand for high-protein, functional products, how is Kerry adapting its strategy to meet new consumer nutrition needs?

GLP-1 adoption is reshaping consumer priorities toward satiety, digestive health, and metabolic support. Kerry’s Proactive Health platform delivers science-backed solutions like BC30™ probiotics for protein absorption, Eupoly-3™ omega-3s for heart health, and Tastesense™ masking solutions to improve flavour in high-protein, reduced-sugar formulations. Our proprietary research identifies five GLP-1 consumer personas, guiding innovation in formats such as protein bars, functional beverages, and meal replacements. At Gulfood, concepts like the Hot Honey Power Bar demonstrated how indulgence and functionality can coexist.

Kerry recently partnered with KidZania on the Kids Flavour Detective Workshop. How do initiatives like this help your teams understand emerging taste preferences and design products for future generations?

The Kids Flavour Detective Workshop gave us direct access to Gen Alpha’s flavour preferences through hands-on co-creation. Gen Alpha has more active taste buds and higher sensitivity to sweet, bitter, umami and spicy compounds. Insights from this activation helped us develop new cheese powder concepts, Savoury Parmesan and Creamy Gouda, featured at Gulfood. These initiatives ensure our innovation pipeline reflects the evolving tastes of younger consumers, enabling brands to future-proof their portfolios with flavours that resonate across generations.

Collaboration with research institutions such as KAUST and KHNI highlights Kerry’s investment in science-driven innovation. How do these partnerships translate bioscience and smart-health research into everyday food solutions?

Our partnerships with KAUST and the Kerry Health & Nutrition Institute (KHNI) accelerate breakthroughs in microbiome science, cellular biology, and functional ingredient development. These collaborations underpin innovations like personalised AI nutrition platforms, clean-label reformulation, and functional ingredients for better health. By embedding cutting-edge science into everyday application, from sugar reduction systems to hydration solutions, we deliver solutions that meet consumer health needs without compromising taste.

Looking ahead, what does the future of food manufacturing look like to you — and how will Kerry continue to lead the transformation of the region’s food ecosystem?

The future is digital, sustainable, and personalised. Expect AI-driven predictive analytics, carbon reduction strategies, and bioscience-led nutrition to dominate. Kerry will continue to lead by combining taste leadership, sustainability, and science-backed innovation, shaping a resilient food ecosystem for MENAT and beyond. Our ambition is clear: to reach two billion people with sustainable nutrition solutions by 2030, while enabling customers to deliver products that are better for people, society, and the planet.

Kerry wrapped up its participation at Gulfood Manufacturing 2025 after welcoming visitors to Kerry Unboxed, a live, interactive experience that showed how global food trends, regional tastes, and new technologies are coming together to shape the future of food and drink in the Middle East.

Over three days, Kerry’s booth became a popular spot for visitors, featuring live cooking and barista sessions, expert discussions, and the launch of new flavour innovations inspired by both consumer insights and the next generation’s preferences.

Inspiring the Next Generation with KidZania

One of the highlights this year was Kerry’s partnership with KidZania for the Flavour Detective Co-Creation Workshop, a fun, engaging activity that encouraged children to explore the building blocks of cheese flavour. Their feedback provided broad insights into taste preferences and helped inspire two new innovations: Savoury Parmesan and Creamy Gouda cheese powders.

Both ingredients deliver rich, authentic cheese flavour suited to regional and international snacks. At Gulfood Manufacturing, Kerry showcased a range of product concepts using the powders, demonstrating how children’s natural curiosity can spark ideas and influence the future of family-focused foods.

Innovation, Taste, and Sustainability at the Forefront

(İnanç Işık, General Manager – Retail, Kerry Middle East)

On Day 1, İnanç Işık, General Manager – Retail, Kerry Middle East, joined industry leaders for the Visionary Leaders in Armchair panel to discuss how collaboration and innovation are changing global food manufacturing.

He explained that for any innovation to succeed, taste, nutrition, and sustainability must work together, noting that taste remains the biggest factor behind consumer choices. He also shared how Kerry’s technologies are helping brands cut cocoa use by up to 20% and sugar by up to 50% while keeping the same taste and quality.

“Our foodservice collaborations let us test and refine ideas quickly, increasing success rates in a region where over 20,000 new products launch each year but only a fraction achieve commercial success,” said Işık. “It’s how we ensure our innovations remain creative, relevant, and commercially viable.”

He added that new health technologies like GLP-1 are changing what people want from their food, creating a stronger demand for high-protein, functional, and affordable products that fit regional preferences.

“We’re focused on scalable innovations that combine great taste, smart nutrition, and cost efficiency,” he said.

Smart Health: Science, Nutrition, and Real-World Application

On Day 2, Professor Imed Gallouzi, Chair of the Smart Health Centre at KAUST and Scientific Advisor to KHNI, expanded on how the future of food is largely driven by innovations prioritizing taste, nutrition and sustainability. He emphasized that taste and nutrition are no longer competing priorities, they must co-exist to meet the demands of the consumer of tomorrow.

“Smart health is becoming an essential part of how future consumers will live, eat, heal, and thrive. Diagnostics, nutrition, and personalized health technologies will help us tailor nutrition plans not only to the person’s health needs but also to their taste. Science-driven nutrition is the bridge between these worlds, and this is where Kerry is leading globally,” said Professor Gallouzi.

Kerry’s work, he said, aligns closely with KAUST’s mission to turn scientific breakthroughs into real-world innovation, supporting the Middle East’s growth as a hub for smart-health research and technology.

Kerry’s Continued Commitment to the Region

Kerry Unboxed demonstrated the company’s ongoing commitment to advancing the Middle East’s food and beverage landscape through innovation, collaboration, and insight. By blending global expertise with local creativity, Kerry continues to support brands in delivering products that are delicious, sustainable, and relevant to consumers’ evolving needs.

“Gulfood Manufacturing 2025 has been a powerful reminder that the future of food in our region is being shaped by collaboration, creativity, and a relentless focus on taste. Sustainable solutions must never compromise on flavor or functionality,” said İnanç Işık, General Manager – Retail, Kerry Middle East. “Our ability to rapidly test ideas in foodservice, adapt to new health trends, and deliver affordable, customised nutrition is what sets Kerry apart. We’re proud to help our customers turn global trends into local success stories, and to inspire the next generation of food innovators.”

By Ben Thomsett, Marketing Manager, Hudini

2025 has been a blockbuster year for global sporting events in the Middle East. From the Asia Cup cricket clashes in the UAE in September, the Qatar Grand Prix in November followed by the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in December, the Abu Dhabi Championship golf in November with the season-ending DP World Tour Championship in Dubai the week after, to the T100 triathlon and Dubai Premier Padel P1 in November, the calendar has been full with headline events. Add to that the return of European soccer leagues after the summer, the game is on.

For hotels, this isn’t just game season. It’s a golden opportunity. Sports tourism already accounts for 10% of global tourism spending, a staggering $560 billion in 2023, and is projected to double by 2032. Fans don’t just travel to watch games; they extend trips, explore cities, dine out, and celebrate victories long after the final whistle. The real prize for hoteliers lies not only in selling rooms, but in upselling experiences that keep guests engaged before, during, and after the action.

Understanding the sports traveller

Unlike traditional leisure tourists, sports fans often plan trips around specific fixtures, but what they do off the field is just as valuable. Expedia’s latest study shows that:

• 62% of sports trips last between 2–6 days, and nearly one in five travellers stay a week or longer
• Over 50% of sports fans spend significantly on ancillaries, while cultural preferences vary: Japanese tourists lean toward sightseeing, Germans toward history, and younger travellers toward wellness and adventure
• On average, travellers spend $1,500 per trip, with nearly a quarter of that reserved for activities outside the stadium

The implication is clear: fans may come for the match, but hotels that fail to extend the experience risk losing wallet share to restaurants, bars, and online platforms.

Why upselling matters more than ever

Upselling isn’t about pushing extras, it’s about anticipating what guests already want and making it easy to say “yes.” After all, when fans fly halfway across the world for a tournament, they’re primed to spend on memorable experiences.

Consider three phases of the journey where upselling makes the difference:

• Pre-arrival
• Offer packages like “Match Night Dining Deals” or “City Sightseeing + Stadium Shuttles”
• Highlight communal match screenings for guests without tickets, complete with bundled food and drink offers
• In-stay
  1. Trigger real-time offers: “Celebrate the win with 20% off cocktails in the lounge”Push personalised recommendations based on guest demographics and country of origin on hotel apps
• Simplify bookings through mobile apps for spa, transport, or dining reservations
• Post-stay
• Keep the fan relationship alive with loyalty offers tied to future tournaments or repeat matches

Hotels that master these touchpoints not only capture incremental revenue but also deepen guest loyalty, converting one-time visitors into lifelong fans.

How technology brings this to life

Here’s where digital guest platforms, like ours at Hudini, change the game. By blending personalisation, real-time engagement, and seamless booking, hotels can transform upsell opportunities into frictionless experiences.

• Pre-event engagement
  Imagine a fan in Dubai ahead of the India–Pakistan cricket clash. Hours before the game, they receive a push notification on the hotel App for “Match Day Brunch” at the hotel’s rooftop bar, complete with shuttle booking to the stadium. For those without tickets, the App promotes a live screening in the lounge with a Burger & Drink Combo.
• Post-event opportunities
  As the final whistle blows, the App nudges guests with a timely “Celebrate the win with cocktails in the lobby bar” offer. The next morning, another notification highlights a “Recovery Spa Package”, perfectly timed for fans who partied late into the night.
• Personalisation at scale
  The technology to drive personalisation at scale is already available. For example, Hudini’s AI-driven engine ensures offers resonate with different guest segments: food & beverage packages for groups of friends, sightseeing bundles for families and spa recovery packages for the night owls. Multilingual support ensures no fan feels left out, no matter where they’re from.
• Frictionless execution
  Crucially, all of this happens within a few taps. Guests can book, pay, and confirm instantly via the app, in-room tablet, or even the TV.

In short: technology ensures that upselling doesn’t feel like selling, it feels like service.

Beyond the stadium: Capturing the real goldmine

Sports tourism is no longer niche; it’s mainstream, global, and growing fast. For hoteliers, the opportunity is not simply to provide a bed for the night, but to become the hub of the fan experience.

Those who can see beyond the stadium, those who curate dining, wellness, cultural, and celebratory touchpoints around the big match will be the ones to unlock the true value of this booming market.

With smart upselling powered by digital AI-powered guest engagement platforms, hotels can score bigger than ever, not just during this sports season but for every one that follows. An omnichannel solution that unifies guest touchpoints and channels, spanning mobile, web, in-room tablets, and IPTV, lets hotels anticipate guest needs and deliver the right offers at the right moment. By staying connected pre- to post-stay, hotels that think beyond the stadium can become genuine experience hubs, turning fans into loyal brand advocates.