Zoho and UAE Food Cluster Propel SMEs into Digital Transformation Era

Editorial Team

Last updated 24-10-2025

3 min

Zoho partners with UAE Food Cluster to digitise SMEs in the food industry.

The collaboration targets over 300 companies, offering AI-powered tools for operations.

Focus is on compliance areas like VAT and traceability, supporting regulatory needs.

SMEs gain access to tools previously exclusive to large corporations, levelling the field.

The initiative aims to enhance productivity, food security, and diversify the economy.

Zoho has teamed up with the UAE Food Cluster in what looks to be a pretty significant move for the country’s food industry. The two have joined hands to help small and medium-sized enterprises—those often operating with limited digital capacity—step confidently into the world of tech transformation. Frankly, it’s a partnership that couldn’t have come at a better time, given how much the sector’s been juggling compliance, efficiency, and sustainability demands lately.

Under this collaboration, the pair will focus on digitising more than 300 UAE food manufacturing and trading companies over the next couple of years. The ambition kicks off with 100 businesses in the first phase. These companies will get access to Zoho’s suite of applications that span finance, HR, inventory, supply chain, and data analytics—all powered by AI and built to simplify the faff of daily operations. It’s exactly the sort of toolset that used to be the playground of big corporations only, but now SMEs are getting a seat at the table.

What grabbed my attention is how this effort isn’t just about going paperless or trendy digital dashboards. It’s also tackling the bones of compliance—VAT, corporate tax, and traceability—which can often keep smaller players awake at night. With the UAE tightening its regulatory frameworks, that kind of support might just be spot on for helping SMEs stay competitive while keeping their books clean and aligned.

Saleh Lootah, the chairman of UAE Food Cluster, highlighted during the signing that these SMEs form the backbone of the country’s food ecosystem. He reckons that empowering them digitally will sharpen their productivity and strengthen food security and diversification goals. Prem Anand Velumani from Zoho added that digital maturity doesn’t have to be a privilege of the few anymore—that cloud-based tools can level the playing field for everyone.

Now, I’ve seen a fair number of ‘strategic digital transformation’ headlines pass through my inbox at Arageek over the years, but this one feels particularly tangible. The UAE’s focus on building a resilient, self-sufficient food economy has been gathering pace, and this move by Zoho and the Food Cluster adds a practical layer to that vision. And believe it or not, the shared training and implementation framework they’re introducing might just save these businesses from the usual headache of figuring out new tech alone. It’s collaborative, cost-efficient, and—dare I say—refreshingly realistic.

For me, what’s genuinely encouraging here isn’t just the promise of shiny new software but the cultural shift it might kick off. When local food producers start seeing data analytics as naturally as they see recipes and orders, that’s when you know the ecosystem’s evolving. As we at Arageek always say, digital empowerment in the MENA region isn’t just about code and clouds—it’s about giving brilliant entrepreneurs the tools to focus on what they do best. And if this partnership works as intended, it could well prove to be a game changer… or atleast a very decent place to start.

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