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Last Updated: Sep 25th, 2006 - 11:36:04 |
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“I had to do an extensive amount of research on my own on Halal. It’s a hurdle for Muslim entrepreneurs not to have access to research, demographics, or important industry contacts.” - Sakeena Rashid, founder, Nature's Noor. |
With the realisation that there are not enough Halal products in the market, Sakeena Rashid, a young resident of Dublin, Ohio took to her personal experience for inspiration. The experience of caring for a six month old baby girl while pursuing college education led her to toy with the idea of developing convenient but healthy range of baby meals for hectic Muslim mothers.
“I wanted Muslim children to have the same access to healthy and natural food just like any other child,” she said. Thus the formation of Nature’s Noor – an all Halal, all organic food company whose first venture, a Halal and organic range of baby food which has so far received tremendous response from all over the world including the UK, France, New Zealand, Middle East and Asia.
“There’s a lot of organic baby foods out there but none of them have Halal certification,” she said. “This is the case not only in the US but also in Canada, France, and many parts of the world.”
Apart from being Halal certified, Sakeena believes that being certified as organic has also placed Nature’s Noor in an advantageous position. “The organic industry in the United States is experiencing tremendous growth and we have managed to open up an even bigger market for Nature’s Noor,” she said.
Sakeena cited Wisconsin Grocer, a trade publication of the Wisconsin Grocers Association, which reported that the average annual growth of organic food sales nationally is expected at 16 per cent each year for the next few years. This was in comparison to an anticipated three to four per cent growth in all grocery food sales nationally.
According to her, despite the overwhelming demand, she finds it hard to cope with production, especially since Halal funding is non-existent in the United States. “Although there are many Islamic banks located in the United States, none of them offer business-related loans,” said Sakeena. In a situation like this, she says Muslim entrepreneurs are placed in an ethical dilemma – to stay Halal or give in to the riba’-ridden loans.
Additionally, the lack of resources and available information on the Halal industry in the United States also presents a problem. “I had to do an extensive amount of research on my own on Halal. It’s a hurdle for Muslim entrepreneurs not to have access to research, demographics, or important industry contacts,” she added.
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