Dates, Camel Milk and Big Ideas: The Emirati Founder Behind Rashtions

Ask most people what the UAE’s food heritage tastes like and two answers come back quickly: dates and camel milk. Emirati entrepreneur Rashid Gargash has spent years asking a harder question. What could those ingredients become?

His answer is Rashtions, a UAE made snack brand that turns dates, camel milk and ghee into protein rich truffles. With the country’s 55th National Day approaching, it is exactly the kind of homegrown story worth putting on the table.

From food security research to the snack aisle

Rashtions did not start as a product idea. It began as research into food security and sustainable nutrition in the region, looking at the realities of desalination, groundwater and the food resources the country already has. Dates and camel milk kept standing out, ingredients that have sustained communities here for generations.

Working with food scientists and researchers, Gargash set about turning them into something convenient enough for modern life. The range now comes in four flavours, Date Original, Date Truffle, Cocoa Truffle and Brazilian Coffee Truffle, with up to 20 grams of protein in an 80 gram serving and no added sugar, preservatives or artificial sweeteners.

In his words

“Rashtions began with a broader question about food security and how we could better understand and utilise the resources available in our region,” said Gargash. “Dates and camel milk have long been part of the UAE’s food story, and I wanted to explore how familiar ingredients could be approached through research and innovation to create something relevant to the way people eat today.”

For him, the lesson is that innovation does not have to start from scratch. Sometimes it starts by looking harder at what is already here, and that is a fitting thought for National Day. Choosing UAE founded brands, made in the country, is one small way to back the next generation of Emirati entrepreneurs.

Where to buy
Rashtions is available at ADNOC and Emarat service stations, Union Coop, on Deliveroo and Noon, and online with delivery across the UAE.
Web: rashtions.ae