Bel Ramps Up Egypt Expansion to Power Regional Export Strategy

Bel has been quietly deepening its roots in Egypt, and the latest signals from its long-running operation there suggest this is anything but a short-term play. During a recent media visit to its factory in 10th of Ramadan City, the company underlined how central Egypt has become to its regional and global industrial plans. I’ve seen plenty of factory tours come and go over the years, but there’s something telling when a site keeps getting fresh investment instead of just limping along… that usually means the numbers stack up.

Over nearly three decades, Bel has put close to €150 million into its Egyptian business, focusing on modern production lines, digital tools and higher industrial standards. The payoff is clear. Around 80% of what’s made in Egypt is shipped to 19 different countries, with exports topping €1.4 billion over the past 15 years. For a market often discussed for its domestic potential, this export-heavy model feels spot on, and I reckon it says a lot about Egypt’s role as a manufacturing bridge between regions.

The 10th of Ramadan plant itself stretches across almost 28,720 square metres and runs 25 cheese production lines alongside six packaging machines. A new production line has already gone live, reinforcing Egypt’s place in what Bel calls its “two-legs” growth approach, where profitability and sustainability are weighed together. That said, it’s not just about volume. The site produces brands such as The Laughing Cow, Kiri Triangles and Les Enfants, all following the group’s portion-based nutrition model designed to cut food waste and suit on-the-go lifestyles, which, let’s be honest, is how most of us eat these days.

What caught my attention is how much localisation goes into the recipes. Depending on the market, some products are fortified with iron, zinc, iodine or vitamins like A and D, particularly in regions where deficiencies are common. It’s a detail that often gets lost in corporate announcements, but it matters, especially across parts of the Middle East and Africa.

People and partnerships are another big part of the picture. Bel Egypt employs more than 1,500 people, all Egyptian, and sources around 90% of its packaging locally. Community programmes range from healthcare support for small retailers through the Enaya initiative, to digital finance tools developed with Fawry. There’s also work with the Egyptian Food Bank to support hospital and school nutrition programmes, plus collaboration with the FAO on nutritional awareness. On the flip side, these initiatives can be a bit of a faff to run at scale, but when they stick, they tend to build real trust on the ground.

On the sustainability front, the factory is leaning into green energy to cut emissions and is developing a wastewater treatment facility. Recyclable packaging is also on the rise, aligning with Bel’s wider environmental goals. Khaled Attia, the plant director, has previously stressed that industrial performance and environmental responsibility have to move together, not one after the other.

Executives from the group were clear about Egypt’s strategic weight. Garo Matossian, cluster general manager for the Middle East and Northeast Africa, described Bel Egypt as a cornerstone of the company’s regional ambitions, while Hany Arram, regional director, pointed to the export figures and local sourcing as evidence of a long-term vision backed by a strong public-private ecosystem. And believe it or not, in a region where many multinationals hedge their bets, that kind of consistency is something founders and operators following Arageek will recognise and, I suspect, quietly admire, even if nothing in business is ever gauranteed.

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