By: Rashid Gargash – Founder of Rashtions

People often assume Rashtions started because I wanted to create a protein snack.

It didn’t.

It started with a much bigger question: could we use the ingredients already available in our region to create nutritious food capable of feeding entire countries and communities?

That question led me on a journey across the UAE, visiting farms, studying our agricultural landscape and learning more about the resources we already have. Time and again, I came back to two ingredients that have sustained this region for generations: dates and milk.

Those ingredients eventually became the foundation of Rashtions – a premium protein truffle made with dates, camel milk and A2 ghee that combines traditional Emirati ingredients with modern nutrition. But the product was never the starting point. It was the outcome of a much broader idea about food innovation.

When people talk about innovation in food, the conversation usually revolves around alternative proteins, artificial intelligence, or entirely new ingredients. Those advances are important, but I believe innovation can also come from looking at familiar ingredients through a different lens.

Across the UAE, we already have ingredients that are naturally nutritious, deeply connected to our heritage and well suited to our environment. Yet they are often overlooked in modern food products in favor of imported alternatives.

That represents an opportunity – not just for entrepreneurs, but for the wider food and hospitality industry.

My earliest prototypes were built in my own kitchen in attempts to create something filling, nutritious and practical. Without access to expensive equipment, I improvised, even modifying a washing machine to perform a task that would normally require laboratory equipment. It was far from perfect, but it allowed me to continue experimenting, learning and improving.

The first product looked nothing like the one consumers know today. It was larger, provided substantial nourishment, and was designed to be handed directly to people who were already holding pots, so it did not have packaging. It could even be heated and eaten as a meal, and it did not taste like emergency food or something heavily preserved.

Later, I refinined the concept through humanitarian nutrition initiatives for children in Africa. When the children ate it, they felt full and this was important to me because the product was not only meant to look nutritious on paper – I wanted it to actually feel like a proper meal.

Eventually, limited funding meant I could no longer produce and distribute the product for free. Rather than abandon the idea, I transformed it into a commercial business so the mission could continue and adapted the product into smaller, easier-to-eat portions that were better suited to different consumers.

That evolution became Rashtions.

Today, the product has become a premium protein truffle, but the original philosophy remains unchanged: use regional ingredients to create practical, nutritious food that fits modern lifestyles.

For me, dates and camel milk were never chosen simply because they are traditional. They are also remarkably functional.

The Khalas Dates we use provide natural carbohydrates for sustained energy, along with fiber and essential minerals. Camel milk offers high-quality protein and naturally contains vitamins and minerals that have made it a valued part of diets across the region for centuries. Combined with wholesome ingredients such as A2 ghee, they create a nutrient-dense snack that delivers natural energy without relying on added sugar, preservatives or artificial sweeteners.

As consumers become increasingly health conscious, they are looking beyond calorie counts. They want recognizable ingredients, clean labels and products that fit into busy lives without compromising on nutrition or taste.

That shift presents an exciting opportunity for the F&B and hospitality industries.

Hotels, cafés and restaurants have always celebrated local flavors through their menus, but there is growing potential to take those same ingredients beyond traditional recipes. Regional ingredients can inspire healthier grab-and-go concepts, functional snacks, premium gifting and contemporary dining experiences that feel both authentic and relevant.

Consumers increasingly value products with a genuine story behind them. They want to understand where ingredients come from, why they were chosen and how they reflect the communities in which they were created.

Hospitality businesses are uniquely positioned to tell those stories.

Using local ingredients is no longer simply about supporting domestic agriculture. It is about creating memorable guest experiences while contributing to more resilient food systems and celebrating the region’s culinary identity.

As the UAE continues positioning itself as a global hub for food innovation, I believe our greatest competitive advantage may already exist within our own agricultural heritage.

Innovation doesn’t always require discovering the next superfood or inventing a revolutionary technology. Sometimes, it begins by recognising the value of what has always been around us and asking a simple question:

How can we make these ingredients relevant for the way people eat today?

For me, that question became Rashtions. But more importantly, it reinforced a belief that extends far beyond one product: the future of food innovation will belong to those who can bridge heritage with modern nutrition, creating food that is not only healthier and more sustainable, but also deeply connected to the places and people it represents.

A new platform is entering the UAE’s growing creator economy with a clear focus on structure, reliability, and end-to-end execution. Founded by Rosie Gunn and Chris Primett, Endless Creators positions itself as a full-service talent, creator, and production platform designed to simplify how brands and creative professionals collaborate.

Bridging Gaps in a Fragmented Industry

The platform is built on firsthand industry experience. Having worked across campaigns as on-set talent, the founders identified persistent challenges within the region’s creative ecosystem, including inconsistent standards, fragmented workflows, and delays in payment and coordination.

Endless Creators is designed to address these inefficiencies by creating a more structured and transparent environment for both brands and talent. The focus is on bringing consistency to an industry that often operates across multiple disconnected layers.

A Curated Talent Ecosystem

Unlike open marketplaces, Endless Creators operates as a curated network. Talent is vetted and selected to ensure reliability and quality across projects. The platform brings together a wide range of creative professionals, including content creators, models, actors, videographers, stylists, and production specialists.

This approach enables brands to access a more controlled and dependable talent pool, while also offering creators a more organised and supportive working environment.

Beyond Talent: Full-Service Production

The platform extends beyond talent sourcing into full-scale production support. Services include creative direction, concept development, location management, and production execution. By integrating these functions, Endless Creators aims to reduce the complexity typically associated with managing creative projects across multiple vendors.

Operational tools are also built into the platform to improve efficiency, including structured call sheets, influencer licensing support, and systems designed to streamline communication between stakeholders.

Raising Standards Across the Ecosystem

A key focus for the platform is improving the overall experience for talent. This includes more transparent processes, reliable payment structures, and better on-set organisation. By addressing these foundational issues, Endless Creators is positioning itself as part of a broader shift towards professionalising the region’s creator economy.

Positioning the UAE as a Creative Hub

With roots in both the UAE and the UK, the founders are bringing a global perspective to a rapidly evolving local market. The platform is not only aimed at improving collaboration within the region but also at supporting the UAE’s positioning as a hub for high-quality production and creative output.

Editorial Perspective

The launch of Endless Creators reflects a wider transition in the creator economy, where scale alone is no longer enough. As brands demand higher quality, faster execution, and more accountability, platforms that combine talent access with operational structure are becoming increasingly relevant.

In this context, Endless Creators is not just another talent marketplace. It represents a move towards integrated, production-led ecosystems that align creative output with business outcomes—an approach that is likely to shape the next phase of growth in the region’s content and media landscape.

By Srijith KN

An in-depth look at Nothing’s 4a Pro, the clean stylish looking mid-range powerhouse!

Nothing has built its reputation on standing apart in an increasingly crowded smartphone market. With the launch of the Nothing Phone (4a) and the more ambitious Nothing Phone (4a) Pro, the company continues that philosophy while shifting its positioning. While the standard model focuses on accessibility, the Pro model moves closer to the premium segment, combining refined hardware with one of the most impressive displays in its category.

The Design Shift

The first thing that stands out about the Phone (4a) Pro is its departure from Nothing’s signature transparent aesthetic. Instead of the exposed internal design language that defined earlier models, the Pro adopts a more traditional and solid look with a clean metal frame and a conventional camera bump. At just 7.95mm, it is also the slimmest Nothing phone to date.

It is a different direction, but one that works. The device feels noticeably more premium than its price might suggest. Having used Nothing phones extensively, including the Phone (1) for nearly two years and the Phone (3) as a daily driver, this design shift feels like a more mature step for the brand. For some users, the move toward a more understated look may actually increase its appeal.

A Display Built for Immersion

The Phone (4a) Pro features a large 6.83-inch AMOLED display with a 1.5K resolution and a variable 144Hz refresh rate. On paper, these specifications are already top tier for this price range.

In practice, the display delivers exactly what those numbers promise. The screen feels fast and responsive with extremely smooth scrolling, while peak brightness reaching up to 5000 nits ensures excellent outdoor visibility. For everyday use, the combination of size, speed, and brightness makes the device feel significantly more expensive than its mid-range positioning suggests.

Performance That Surprises

Powering the device is the Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 chipset paired with up to 12GB of RAM. While this chipset is not designed to compete with flagship processors, it represents a meaningful performance jump compared with previous mid-range Nothing devices.

In early testing, the phone handled multitasking comfortably and performed well in gaming scenarios. Nothing has always focused on smooth real-world performance rather than chasing benchmark numbers, and the Phone (4a) Pro continues that same philosophy. For most users, the device feels quick, responsive, and capable of handling everyday workloads without difficulty.

Nothing OS Remains a Strength

Nothing OS continues to be one of the strongest aspects of the device. The software experience remains clean, responsive, and refreshingly free from unnecessary bloatware.

In a smartphone landscape increasingly filled with overly aggressive AI features and cluttered interfaces, Nothing OS stands out for its simplicity. For users who prefer a lightweight Android experience that stays focused on usability, the software remains one of the Phone (4a) Pro’s biggest competitive advantages.

Camera Performance

The Phone (4a) Pro includes a 50-megapixel main camera supported by a telephoto lens designed to offer additional versatility for photography.

In good lighting conditions the camera produces detailed images with balanced colour reproduction. While it may not fully compete with flagship level camera systems, the overall performance remains strong for the device’s price category.

However, there are some compromises. The ultra-wide camera uses an 8MP sensor and the front facing camera represents a slight downgrade compared with higher end models in the Nothing lineup. For most users the results will still be more than sufficient, but the camera system does not completely match flagship expectations.

The 140× Zoom Experiment

One of the more unusual features on the Phone (4a) Pro is the advertised 140× zoom capability. On paper this sounds extraordinary, particularly for a mid-range device.

In practice the phone achieves this through a combination of its 3.5× optical telephoto lens and AI driven image processing that digitally extends the zoom range far beyond what the optics alone can provide.

Carl Pei once mentioned in an interview that some features come from giving internal teams the freedom to experiment creatively. The 140× zoom feels like one of those ideas. It may not always produce perfect photos, but it works surprisingly well as what could be described as a “digital binocular” mode.

The Glyph System: Refined Identity

The Glyph lighting system remains one of Nothing’s most recognisable design signatures. On the Phone (4a) Pro the concept evolves with a larger and brighter light array that expands its visual notification capabilities.

The Glyph system can display alerts for incoming calls, timers, notifications, and recording indicators through distinctive lighting patterns on the back of the phone.

While visually distinctive and occasionally useful for quick notifications, the Glyph system still feels more like a signature design element than a practical necessity. That said, the implementation on the Phone (4a) Pro looks particularly striking and continues to give Nothing devices a visual identity that few other smartphones offer.

Editor’s Impressions

Having moved from the Phone (1) to the Phone (3) as my primary device, the Phone (4a) Pro feels like an interesting pivot for Nothing. The shift away from a fully transparent aesthetic toward a polished metal design feels both refreshing and more mature.

Performance is strong enough for everyday use and even moderate gaming, while the display is easily one of the highlights of the device. The camera system is capable, though there are a few compromises including the 8MP ultra-wide lens and the slightly downgraded front camera.

For users looking for the absolute highest specifications available, there are other devices that push further into flagship territory. But that has never been Nothing’s core philosophy. Instead, the brand focuses on creating devices that feel distinctive, practical, and thoughtfully designed.