By Karen E. Thuermer, AJOT When it comes to exporting beef and poultry products, Midamar Corporation of Cedar Rapids, Iowa knows its stuff. Midamar, which opened its doors in 1974, today operates as not only a manufacturer of beef and poultry goods; Midamar is trading company, wholesaler, agent and distributor. The company is especially well known for its expertise in developing, marketing and selling products that fall under an accredited Halal program. For that reason, it enjoys much success in the burgeoning Muslim market – particularly in the Middle East and Southeast Asia. Known to many as America’s favorite Halal brand, the company has been providing top grade U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) approved Halal foods to the Middle East and the Arabian Gulf region for over 35 years. In fact, since its establishment, Midamar has become known as North America’s pioneer and oldest Halal food company. It offers the only Halal processing facility in the United States. Additionally, Midamar is the first company to be approved by many international Islamic organizations in countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Kuwait, and the UAE. It is audited and approved by the Islamic Services of America (ISA), an organization that was started in Iowa in 1975 and is a leading internationally recognized Halal certifier throughout the Muslim and non-Muslim world. In speaking with this AJOT reporter, Jalel Aossey, global managing director of Midamar Corp., emphasizes that his company exports a number of differ products from beef and poultry all the way down to general dry and frozen food stuffs that go to grocery stores, markets, hotels, and international restaurant concerns. Market Reach Primarily markets are the Middle East and Southeast Asia. “We also do a little into the Caribbean,” he adds. Currently, some of the best key markets the company is serving are the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and Malaysia, Aossey reveals. In fact, because the Middle Eastern and Arabian Gulf markets have been growing at a record pace, and demand for food products is accelerating, Midamar opened regional operations in Jebel Ali, Dubai, in February 2010. “We decided to locate in Jebel Ali Free Zone due to its location at Jebel Ali Port, one of the largest ports in the World,” Aossey states. “Dubai is regionally centrally located and has an excellent track record in developing trade activity in the region.” Aossey sees the new office, which is located in the Jebel Ali Free Zone, as enabling the company to serve its clients in the region and surrounding areas with more of a personal touch. Midamar, however, is no new comer to Middle East markets. The company has been selling to Saudi Arabia for over 30 years. But, as Aossey stated in an article in “The American Exporter”, over the years the Saudi Arabia market and others in the Middle East have changed considerably. Years ago the company exported everything from hamburger buns to plates and forks and meat. Now the shift is towards American goods that are either on the commodity side or the upper end. An example, Aossey reports, is higher end cuts of meat and poultry. In addition, restaurants and hotels there want the same types of products one finds in the United States. “They are trying to give the customer the same value and perception as one might find here,” Aossey reports. Halal Emphasis Midamar’s beef products are sourced from producers in the Midwest. “That’s because of the corn fed aspect of our beef program,” Aossey tells AJOT. “We compete against grass feed and, to a small degree, grain feed beef out of Australia.” In meeting the true definition of Halal, Midamar hand slaughters all beef, lamb, veal, turkey, goat, and organic products. Because Iowa is not considered a primary chicken producing state, Midamar purchases its poultry from the Southeast from sources that utilize both hand and machine slaughtered Halal chicken. Midamar’s only acceptable method of