Former Godiva boss aims to take Saudi date brand global

NURTAC AFRIDI WANTS BATEEL TO HAVE OVER 500 STORES WORLDWIDE BY 2029

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Hanging precariously from the tops of towering date palms, farm workers painstakingly pollinate the trees by hand. With around 100,000 palms to fertilise in just days, the pressure is especially intense this spring.

Located 250 kilometres (155 miles) northwest of Riyadh, the farm, owned by a company with links to the Saudi royal family, is plotting a massive global expansion under new Chief Executive Officer Nurtac Afridi.

From New York to Seoul

She wants Bateel International LLC, which is also backed by French luxury-goods maker LVMH, to triple revenues across its cafe and luxury foods outlets by 2029.

The expansion, which will see Bateel’s store count rising to over 500 globally from just under 200 currently, dovetails with a push by Saudi Arabia to diversify its economy beyond oil.