Eleven businesses based in Ealing have been shortlisted in 11 categories at this year’s West London Business Awards which take place later this month at Twickenham Stadium on 24 February 2023.
Dina Foods in Park Royal is one of the businesses to make it to the shortlist in two categories: Food & Drink Business of the Year and High-growth SME.
EALING.NEWS caught up with Wilda Haddad, assistant general manager and project director to find out more about what it means to be shortlisted, being based in Ealing, challenges they face and future plans.
What it means to be short listed?
We are thrilled to be short listed for the West London Business Awards this year. Dina Foods has been trailblazing in the food industry for 31 years now, delivering a unique combination of traditional Mediterranean recipes and ground-breaking, innovative products that meet growing consumer demand. This milestone recognises the incredible journey Dina Foods has been on to become a leading brand in the artisan, specialist food space.
What does being based in Ealing mean to you?
Park Royal is London’s largest industrial estate, with over a third of the capital’s food coming from the area so we feel a sense of pride in being members of this bustling and diverse manufacturing community. Our location in Ealing has been a big part of our success to date; it has provided a strong transport network that supports the national and international distribution routes that we need to meet customer demand. As Dina Foods employs around 180 people, we have benefitted from the local talent pool that West London offers.
What are the challenges you face as a business in Ealing?
As a growing business, we are always looking at ways to improve our operations. Sustainability is on our agenda at Dina Foods and we are excited about the transformation and efficiencies this will bring. We are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and have pledged to halve it by 2025 and achieve net zero by 2030. We hope that by next year we will be well established on our journey and that we will have implemented some new and even more sustainable ways of operating.
What can Ealing Council do for you to help your business?
We would welcome new, fresh ways that Ealing Council can help local businesses to work together as a community to achieve net zero. Innovation and progress happen when we share ideas, our learnings and actively support one another. Facilitating a business community sustainability forum would be a fantastic way for Ealing Council to help move the sustainability needs and support local businesses – of all sizes – on this journey.
What can the government do for you to help your business?
With 2030 net zero targets coming closer and rising energy prices, an increase in green energy is needed to help us meet our goals. Small and ambitious businesses, like Dina Foods, would benefit from greater investment in this area and even grants that would help SMEs to make this a reality sooner rather than later.
A year from now, where do you see your business?
The quality of our products remains a huge focus for Dina Foods and our team works hard to bring a fresh approach that appeals to a broad market. We have become a household name across the country because we consistently deliver the sweet and savoury innovative products that continue to delight our customers over 30 years on. Over the next year, we’ll be looking at ways to reach higher outputs within the space available to us, so that we can continue to bring quality and authentic Mediterranean products right into people’s homes.
What are you most proud of so far in what your business has achieved?
With the growth of the company Dina Foods has achieved some excellent milestones. We have expanded into three factories and achieved excellent BRC grades (AA+) across our manufacturing sites, trademarked several products and grown our product portfolio. Our customer base has grown over the years and we now supply around 16 countries in the EU.
Dina Foods is located at 24-26 Gorst Rd, London NW10 6LE
