Mai Dubai was established in 2012 by DEWA with the aim of furthering its efforts in the diversification of its investment portfolio towards the strengthening of the economy in Dubai. DEWA owns 99% of Mai Dubai. The company was established with the vision to create an in-bottled water premium brand that can be strong enough to compete both locally and globally. The company has produced a Dubai-based production facility, full capacity since 2014, and bottles began to reach the shelves. In a few years, Mai Dubai dominates the UAE bottled-water market, hence showing its significant presence around the region.

The company extended its markets to Qatar, Bahrain, Oman markets, as well as Asian, European, and South African markets. Apart from the purity that Mai Dubai water guards, its meteoric rise to the premium bottled water market position was grounded by strategic positioning. Among the reasons for such phenomenal success of Mai Dubai has been its bold decision not to choose blue tones among other options in the branding needed to establish coolness and purity. The one exception of this seemingly homogeneous product line is Mai Dubai, whose bright red logo gives this firm a competitive edge and its bottle design stands as distinctive. Prior to its release, there was no alternative choice that could compete with the premium water segment, which targets customers who value quality over everything else in their eye-catching bottle designs.

The quality input is maintained at each level of production. Mai Dubai ensures only the best quality at each level. The company has the plant at Yalayis on Al Qudra Road in Dubai, where it has developed the technology for having a clear and safe water bottle. Presently, with the production capacity of over 207 million units every year, by last year, 2015, and production at this brand increase with the launch of the brand.

This commitment to quality did not go unnoticed. To cite one example, the US magazine Beverage World presented a bronze award at its 7th Annual BevStar Awards to Mai Dubai, in view of exemplary taste, packaging, and market positioning of the product, in 2016. The brand’s reputation continued rising as Gulf News reported that Mai Dubai had emerged as the favourite bottled water of Emirates Airlines passengers.

Mai Dubai was ranked Grade A in the year 2015, which is the highest ranking on food safety approved by Dubai Municipality, proving itself to be the industry leader. This was mainly due to the care that they served for their food safety protocols and hygiene standards. In the Middle East Beverage Awards 2016, it received the “Best Marketing Impact” that manifested that it had a strong presence and strength in the market.

It focuses on innovation, sustainability, and expansion as Mai Dubai grows. The company hasn’t been bound to the borders of the UAE, for its bottled water now reaches 13 countries. With so many options, Mai Dubai simply has it easy in supplying what consumers need – small and medium-sized bottles (1.5L, 500ml, and 330ml) and five-gallon bottles for home and office delivery. The company sells water in 200ml and 100ml tumblers to a number of small businesses for carrying events or at home.

Mai Dubai has sustainability imprinted into its DNA. Since most of the globe is transitioning towards green substitutes, it also looks out for new ways that cut down on carbon footprints, save water, and more mindful production.

If you ever fly on Emirates or virtually any other airline out of Dubai International Airport, odds are high that the delicious meal you are offered has been prepared by Emirates Flight Catering, commonly known as EKFC. For those who don’t know, this is one of the largest in-flight catering services around the world, and much more than just a catering company-it’s an unseen giant serving millions of passengers every year with premium culinary experiences. From providing exquisite fine dining to events at amazing venues, Emirates Flight Catering is the new standard in fine in-flight cuisine.

Emirates Flight Catering was formed in 2003 from its parent company, Emirates Abela Catering Company, splitting into its current entity. Since its parent company first began, envisioning to serve Emirates Airline flights, Emirates Flight Catering expanded into a world operation that currently serves more than 120 international airlines arriving and departing Dubai International Airport. Emirates Flight Catering Centre is a highly advanced facility that can produce more than 225,000 meals every day. It employs more than 11,000 people, and alone in 2017, it provided 55 million meals, producing an average of 180,000 meals for its passengers every day.

Advanced food production facilities are the keys of mass scale offered at EKFC. For its own part, the group’s flagship facility is the Emirates Flight Catering Centre at Dubai International Airport, representing one of the most sophisticated operations of its kind globally. The facility produces over 115,000 meals a day, and operates exclusively for Emirates Airline. Besides this one, it has a second facility that caters to more than 120 other international airlines. In pursuit of its aggressive expansion strategy, in 2005, EKFC established Food Point, a 10,000-square-meter production facility at Dubai Investment Park. The increase in production capacity will provide 30 million extra meals per year and is one of the companies’ key assets in terms of global food production capabilities. International Food Systems Ltd designed the facility to ensure Emirates Flight Catering could meet the culinary requirements of the airlines within and outside the region.

But catering isn’t the only business domain where Emirates Flight Catering stands tall. Besides its food factories, EKFC runs Linencraft, a vast laundry complex located in Dubai Investment Park. Since 2007 when it was upgraded, Linencraft can clean or dry clean up to 210 tons every day. This enables the airlines run by Emirates to service passengers in the best possible manner under bright, fresh-looking linens. Further securing its status as a pioneer in innovative food, Emirates Flight Catering was in the news in February 2024 for fully acquiring Emirates Bustanica, previously called Emirates Crop One. Bustanica is touted to be the world’s largest indoor vertical farm, and the sustainable farming process gives EKFC the opportunity to grow fresh ingredients 365 days a year for its meals on board. This takeover shows the commitment of EKFC towards sustainable food supply, that the company makes use of the most modern technology toward excellence in operations.

Emirates Flight Catering has brought not just excellence in operations but also offered a forward-looking sustainability approach. In this acquisition, Bustanica takes into account the minimizing of environmental impact on the overall food production process. This indoor vertical farm grows fresh produce utilizing 95% less water as compared to traditional farming methods and delivers EKFC a range of high-quality ingredients to ensure nutritious and flavoursome meals for its passengers. EKFC has significantly invested in energy-efficient infrastructure. Emirates Flight Catering thus acts towards creating a greener future both for aviation and the food industry through the usage of advanced technologies that are used to optimize food production and efficient waste management.

Another reason behind the success of EKFC is that it adheres to be watchful and attentive to the diverse requirements for food by passengers. Here, the choices for meals range from the traditional Emirati to vegetarian and gluten-free, and all the passengers are assured of enjoying a quality meal suited to their choice. Again, it is robust on the issues of food safety and quality control, and hence, it takes maximum care towards that aspect to ensure quality meals for all the passengers.

Dubailand was formally announced on October 23, 2003, by Tatweer, a subsidiary of Dubai Holding. The plans consisted of an area of 278 square kilometres with 45 mega-projects and 200 sub-projects. These were to be implemented for turning the emirate into an international tourism center. The six worlds of Dubailand were set up to cater for different experiences and enjoyments: Attractions and Experience World, Sports and Outdoor World, Eco-Tourism World, Themed Leisure and Vacation World, Retail and Entertainment World, and Downtown Dubailand.

All these areas were supposed to accommodate a variety of amusement, including theme parks, hotels, residential places, and shopping malls. For this purpose, the central part of Dubailand was supposed to meet the needs of several varied audiences, such as families who would be visiting to have their share of fun in the theme parks, adventure and ecotourism enthusiasts, and so on.

Dubailand received a severe blow when, on account of its ambitious timing and construction, it suffered crucial hits from the global financial crisis of 2007–2008. The Great Recession in tandem with the crash of Dubai’s housing market in 2009 suspended nearly all of the under-construction projects. Most of the investors withdrew, and most of the sub-projects either went pending or into cold storage. Some of the largest theme park collaborations, including Six Flags and Marvel, were shelved indefinitely, which was a crushing blow to the early phase of the Dubailand vision. All this while, more than $55 billion had been raised toward its development, but the project was not faring well. Most key investors had lost interest by 2012, and the project was taken over by Dubai Properties Group from Tatweer for continued development on residential communities, such as the Mudon project.

It seems that 2013 was the year when, after years of stagnation, a semblance of momentum seemed to be regained for this Dubailand. The opening of Dubai Miracle Garden in March 2013 marked a restart in the comeback story of Dubailand. This stunning floral attraction soon became one of Dubai’s iconic tourist attractions, attracting millions of visitors around the year with its incredible spread of more than 72,000 square meters. Just adjacent to it, the Dubai Butterfly Garden, opened in 2015, accelerated the already started popularity of the area. Major attractions were opened in 2016, such as Legoland Dubai and Motiongate Dubai, almost 35 kilometres from Dubailand, with rides and experiences based on DreamWorks themes. These developments revitalized the entertainment sector in the area, bringing Dubai one step closer to what it had envisioned for Dubailand.

In spite of all the delays and setbacks, Dubailand remains one of the biggest entertainment districts to continue growing in the years to come. Many high-profile projects are scheduled for completion by 2025 that might make it the entertainment powerhouse it was envisioned to be in the first place. Dubailand’s future may consist of large attractions, residential developments, and eco-tourism destinations.

As Dubai Solidifies its Claim as the Place of Innovations and Tourism, Dubailand will be the Ultimate Controller of the Entertainment and Enjoyments of the City. So something like the Dubai Miracle Garden and the surrounding parks is a glimpse of the big vision that sparked the project and how even financial crises can only make Dubai’s ambition go on the back foot but cannot stop it.