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Coffee Star joins Saudi partnership to serve the Haj and Umrah sector
Two Malaysian firms, Syed Food Industry with packed meals and Fario Holdings Sdn Bhd (Coffee Star) with coffee kiosks, signed with Saudi Arabia’s Mrasi Almamoura Group in Jeddah to serve the Haj and Umrah trade.
KUALA LUMPUR, 12 January 2023 — Every pilgrim who travels to Saudi Arabia for the Haj or Umrah needs to eat and drink along the way. In January 2023, a Saudi company turned to two Malaysian firms to help provide both, Bernama reported.
Three companies were involved. On the Saudi side was Mrasi Almamoura Group; on the Malaysian side, Fario Holdings Sdn Bhd (Coffee Star) and Syed Food Industry Sdn Bhd. Meals and drinks for pilgrims were the business: the three would make them and get them to market, with food sold both ready to eat and ready to cook.
The details came from the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE), which set them out in a statement on 12 January. MATRADE also flagged a second market for the partnership: hospitality, which it described as growing across the region.
Jeddah was the venue. The companies sealed the deal at the city’s Superdome, on the sidelines of the Haj and Umrah Expo 2023, a conference and exhibition that Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Haj and Umrah was staging for the second time. MATRADE’s announcement followed shortly after.
Each Malaysian company took a distinct role. Syed Food Industry’s job was the meal: packed dishes for pilgrims, supplied to Mrasi Almamoura, from a menu that ranged across several cuisines, with Southeast Asian, Western and Middle Eastern among them.
Coffee Star’s part was the cup. That meant its digital, automated kiosks, serving coffee alongside a selection of other drinks, with Fario Holdings behind them.
Fouad Morsi, chief executive of Mrasi Almamoura, explained the choice of partners. “Collaborating with both companies is very apt because they share the same vision and values as us,” he said (translated).
He linked that shared outlook to food for pilgrims and to the Saudi government’s own aims on food safety and quality.
The partnership landed against a much larger ambition. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 put a number on it: 30 million pilgrims. Logistics, healthcare, technology and tourism were among the areas the kingdom planned to improve to get there.
For any supplier watching the region, the arithmetic was simple. More pilgrims would mean more meals to pack and more cups to pour.
For Malaysian companies eyeing the same market, the route was worth noting: a sector-specific expo organised by the host government’s own ministry, and a national trade agency to announce the deal.
Today, Coffee Star runs Auto-Baristas at more than 114 locations across Malaysia. On 24 September 2026, it launched its fully managed Office Coffee Service at MIHAS 2026.
Original coverage
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- BernamaSyarikat Malaysia, Arab Saudi jalin kerjasama tawar produk makanan untuk sektor haji, umrah ↗
- Business TodayMalaysian companies tie up with Saudi firm to offer food products for Haj, Umrah sector ↗
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