Hospitality
WHY CREDIBLE SUSTAINABILITY STILL WINS IN AN INFLATIONARY MARKET



Ryan Black, Co-founder & CEO of SAMBAZON – the organic, fair trade and sustainable açaí brand – shares that the future of sustainability belongs to brands that can show measurable metrics, independent audits and full supply chain transparency.
Consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable products, even when inflation continues to shape purchasing decisions. For hospitality businesses, this is an important signal. It underlines that sustainability still carries commercial value, particularly in premium cafés, hotels, restaurants and foodservice settings where quality, provenance and brand trust all influence buying behaviour.
At the same time, consumers are becoming quicker to question the claims behind the products they buy. They may still value sustainability, but they are far less willing to accept broad environmental language without evidence. For hospitality operators, that creates a clear challenge. Sustainability can still support premium pricing, but only when it is credible, specific and properly substantiated.
At SAMBAZON, we continue to see strong demand for certified organic and ethically sourced products, despite inflationary pressure. That is especially true across natural retail, specialty grocery, foodservice and premium café channels.
Middle East consumers now actively seek transparency, clean labels and brands with verified impact. Our retail partners report that shoppers are willing to pay more for products that deliver on both quality and purpose, especially when certifications are clearly displayed and backed by third-party verification.


Sustainability = Quality
In hospitality, this premium positioning is often even more visible. Consumers increasingly associate certified organic and fair trade ingredients with superior quality, and that can strengthen menu pricing power. In other words, sustainability does not sit outside the guest experience. It’s part of how quality is perceived.
But hospitality businesses cannot rely on good intentions or attractive messaging.
Today’s consumer expects evidence, not claims.
The proof points that matter most are those that can be verified and explained clearly. That includes recognized certification standards such as Fair for Life and USDA Certified Organic, as well as traceability from harvest to finished product, third-party audits, transparent impact reporting and measurable environmental protection. Consumers also want to understand the wider effect of their purchase; they want to know how their buying decision supports farmers, protects ecosystems and reinvests in communities.
That shift matters, because many of the old shortcuts in sustainability communication no longer work. Terms such as sustainable, ethical, green and eco-friendly can quickly become meaningless if they are too broad or impossible to prove. In our view, those words should only be used when they can be defined clearly and supported by evidence. Internally, every sustainability claim we make has to meet three tests: it must be backed by third-party verification, terms used must be clearly defined, and we must be able to provide supporting data if asked. Whenever possible, we replace adjectives with numbers.
That discipline is important because misconceptions still persist. Some consumers assume that sustainability simply means a higher price without added value. Others confuse natural with certified ethical sourcing. Many still believe sustainability claims are mostly marketing.
In reality, verified sustainability requires audited standards, compliance costs and structural investment across the supply chain. The price reflects those commitments, but it also reflects quality, transparency and long-term environmental stewardship.
For SAMBAZON, ethical sourcing is not a campaign line. It is built into the structure of the business. One hundred per cent of our açaí is certified organic, and our entire supply chain is Fair for Life certified. We work directly with 827 individual açaí harvesters across 256 communities in the Amazon region.
Since our founding, we have invested more than $1 million in harvester communities through verified fair trade premiums, helping to fund schools, health centers and community improvements. In 2024 alone, our Fair Trade-certified harvest area encompassed 100,204 acres of Amazon rainforest, an area more than four times the size of Paris. According to an independent 60 Decibels survey, 100 per cent of harvesters believe SAMBAZON contributes to the development of their community.


Those figures matter in hospitality because they move the conversation away from abstract values and into operational fact. They also help buyers explain why a product costs what it does.
Inflation has increased costs across logistics, packaging and global freight, but we have not reduced our certification standards or sourcing commitments to offset those pressures. We justify price through certified organic quality, verified fair trade sourcing, functional benefits and transparent, documented impact. Retailers and hospitality buyers understand that cutting corners on sourcing may reduce short-term cost, but it can also compromise brand equity and long-term consumer trust.
This is where the industry still gets it wrong. Too many sustainability claims rely on broad, unverified language with little measurable backing. Greenwashing often happens when brands use undefined terms without certification, highlight one positive initiative while ignoring wider supply chain impacts, or avoid third-party verification altogether. That may once have been enough to support a story, but it’s no longer enough to sustain trust.
For hospitality businesses, the lesson is straightforward. Consumers value sustainable products and will often pay more for them, even in a pressured economy. But the premium depends less on promise than on proof.
The future of sustainability communication will belong to brands that can show measurable metrics, independent audits and full supply chain transparency. In hospitality, where trust and perceived quality matter so much, documented proof is no longer a nice addition. It is the standard consumers increasingly expect.
Hospitality
ZAHRA’S KITCHEN SHARES ITS GUIDE TO EASIER SUMMER EATING IN THE UAE
As summer routines shift across the UAE, Zahra’s Kitchen, the UAE homegrown premium food brand, is encouraging consumers to rethink convenience food with simple, flexible meal ideas designed to make everyday eating easier, more flavourful and less time consuming. The seasonal guide comes as the brand expands its ready meal range with three new additions and prepares to launch a limited edition single-portion collection exclusively on Noon Minutes this summer.
Created for busy everyday routines, Zahra’s Kitchen offers handcrafted ready meals, snacks and nibbles inspired by comforting recipes and familiar flavours. Made using responsibly sourced ingredients, with no artificial additives or preservatives, products are frozen at peak freshness to help preserve flavour, texture and nutritional value, while offering greater ease, flexibility and variety throughout the week.


This summer, the brand is spotlighting one of the simplest ways to approach mealtimes at home. One ready meal does not need to mean one meal. Instead, Zahra’s Kitchen is sharing how its dishes can become the starting point for multiple meal ideas, helping consumers create more variety with less effort.
Simple ways to rethink summer meals include:
- Beef Bolognese: Serve with pasta for an easy dinner, or turn it into lasagne, pasta bakes, stuffed vegetables or eggplant fattah.
- Chilli Con Carne: Use as a base for tacos, enchiladas, nachos, rice bowls or loaded baked potatoes.
- Butter Chicken: Pair with rice and naan, or fold into wraps, flatbreads, sandwiches and pizzas for a quick lunch or casual dinner.
- Plant-Based Sweet Potato and Chickpea Red Curry: Enjoy on its own, or serve alongside grilled fish, chicken or vegetables for an easy summer meal.
The expanded ready meal range now includes Lentil Soup, Chicken Freekah and Plant-Based Sweet Potato and Chickpea Red Curry, joining customer favourites including Beef Bolognese, Butter Chicken, Beef Meatballs, Chilli Con Carne and Basmati Rice.
Currently available in two-serving portions, the ready meal range has been designed to offer flexibility, value and multiple meal occasions. The upcoming limited edition single-portion range, launching exclusively on Noon Minutes this summer, has been developed for consumers looking for greater flexibility during busier days.
Alongside its ready meal collection, Zahra’s Kitchen also offers a range of snacks and nibbles rooted in Middle Eastern flavours and entertaining traditions, including Musakhan Rolls, Beef Kibbeh, Falafel and Spinach Puff Bites. Ideal for sharing platters, lunchboxes, family gatherings, casual hosting or everyday snacking, the range reflects the same commitment to quality ingredients and ease.
Hospitality
KINTSUGI KAHANI WORKSHOP WITH ROHINI DUBAI
On 27 June, Rohini will host the Kintsugi Kahani Experience, inspired by the Japanese art of golden repair. Rooted in the philosophy of embracing imperfection, the experience invites guests to explore creativity through a hands-on workshop that celebrates the beauty found in flaws and life’s imperfections.
Throughout the evening, participants will create a meaningful keepsake to take home while engaging with the centuries-old concept of transforming brokenness into something beautiful and unique. Designed as a reflective and creative experience, the workshop offers guests an opportunity to connect with the art form in an intimate and inspiring setting.
Follow and explore: rohinidubai.com and IG: @rohini.dubai for more such offers and experiences..
Hospitality
FROM TUNA FREIGHTER TO OCEAN ICON: SIYAM WORLD MALDIVES LAUNCHES NOONU ATOLL’S COOLEST NEW DIVE PLAYGROUND
At Siyam World Maldives, part of Sun Siyam’s Lifestyle Collection, when someone says, “let’s create a new dive site,” they do not mean a new mooring buoy. They mean sinking an entire ship and launching a brand-new shipwreck site in Noonu Atoll. A former Maldivian tuna freighter has now been reimagined as a dynamic new wreck dive site and the foundation of a future living reef.
Over time, through natural coral growth and dedicated restoration efforts, the wreck will gradually transform into a thriving underwater ecosystem, creating new habitat for marine life and contributing to the long-term health of the surrounding environment. Developed in collaboration with the resort’s expert team at Sun Diving, the project blends Maldivian heritage, conservation, and serious underwater adventure into one bold new experience.
What started as a playful dinner remark in 2021 quickly turned into a bold mission: Chairman and founder, Mr. Ahmed Siyam Mohamed shared a vision of creating something truly special beneath the waters of Noonu Atoll, a dive experience that would attract explorers while contributing to the future of the marine environment. And just like that, the challenge was set. Fast forward, a former Japanese-built tuna freighter from the 1980s, once responsible for transporting Maldivian tuna across the atolls to Malé and local canneries, has been reimagined as the region’s newest underwater attraction. Measuring 66.36 metres in length and weighing 499 tonnes, the vessel now begins a second life beneath the waters of Noonu Atoll as both an exciting new dive site and the foundation of a growing artificial reef.
After being located in Lhaviyani Atoll and carefully cleaned and prepared near Malé, the vessel was towed to Noonu Atoll following government approval in August 2024. In October 2024, it was purposefully sunk on the north west side of Siyam World, within the resort’s territorial waters, beside a thriving reef already known for schooling fish and vibrant marine life.
Of course, no great story happens without a twist. During the initial sinking, trapped air caused the ship to settle upside down on the seabed. Not exactly the plan. Undeterred, Siyam World brought in a skilled local team from Miladhoo in early 2025 who, after weeks of precision lifting with massive air bags and ropes, successfully rotated the wreck upright. Mission accomplished.
Today, the bow points dramatically towards the reef at 10 metres, while the stern drops to 24 metres, creating an accessible yet thrilling dive for a wide range of certified divers. The marine life has wasted no time claiming its new address. Already recorded around the wreck are guitar sharks, blacktip reef sharks, lemon sharks, nurse sharks, grey reef sharks, Napoleon wrasse, eagle rays, stingrays, turtles, moray eels, octopus, groupers, snappers, boxfish, batfish, angelfish, nudibranchs, and large schools of jackfish. Soft and hard corals are already flourishing across the steel structure, transforming it into a living reef and highlighting its potential to become one of the Maldives’ most exciting artificial reef projects
Unlike a traditional reef dive, this site delivers atmosphere, scale and a real sense of exploration. Divers can glide along the ship’s striking exterior lines or venture carefully into open sections to experience its shadowed interiors and dramatic angles. The contrast between the bright blue open water and the moody steel silhouette creates unforgettable perspectives and serious photo moments. It is immersive, powerful and entirely unique to the region.
With official government approval to cultivate coral fragments directly onto the wreck, Siyam World’s Sun Diving team is actively enhancing the site as a living, growing artificial reef. But the ambition extends beyond creating a new dive attraction. The wreck forms the centrepiece of Wreck to Reef, Siyam World’s new annual ocean conservation initiative under the Sun Siyam Cares sustainability platform. As the project develops, guests will be able to follow its progress through future editions of Wreck to Reef, updates from Sun Diving’s marine experts, and a structured reef monitoring programme led by resort Marine Biologist Mariyam Thuhufa (Thuhu). Coral growth, biodiversity, and the overall development of the ecosystem will be documented and assessed every three months, providing measurable insights into the transformation of the wreck into a thriving living reef. The goal is to create a lasting connection between travellers and the marine environment, transforming visitors into active participants in ocean restoration while ensuring the project’s environmental impact can be monitored, measured, and shared for years to come.
For those wanting to be part of the story from the very beginning, Siyam World will officially launch the first edition of Wreck to Reef from 11 to 15 June 2026, bringing together divers, conservationists, content creators, and ocean enthusiasts for a programme of wreck dives, coral planting sessions, marine talks, clean-up initiatives, and community engagement activities. Designed as an annual event, Wreck to Reef will return each year to celebrate and support the ongoing transformation of the wreck into a living reef.
The best part? This new wreck dive is available to all Siyam World guests, and to certified divers staying at other resorts within Noonu Atoll for a supplementary excursion fee. In short, it is set to become the atoll’s new must dive experience. At Siyam World, adventure does not stop at the waterline. Sometimes, it begins twenty four metres below it.
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