Dubai healthy snack brand raises Dhs1.5m to further growth

Dubai’s Koala Picks, the healthy snack brand for children, has raised Dhs1.5m in their first external round of funding led by friends and family investors.

With no institutional investor, all funding received has been injected into the company with no exits.

Koala Picks plans on using the funding to expand the business which has already allowed them to scale up operations by moving to a bigger facility in June 2021. In addition, the brand will invest in new equipment to increase automation and minimise labour work, revamp their current website, expand the Koala Picks team, and upgrade their current packaging.

The brand was launched in October 2019 by Ahmed Mobasher, Aya Assaf and Omnia Abdelhalim to promote healthy lifestyle habits for families. Products range from healthy sweet and savoury snacks to breakfast and baking items, which can either be purchased in single boxes or as part of a subscription service.

The Koala Picks team consists of an in-house nutritionist who inspects all ingredients and participated in menu development to optimise the nutritional profile and perfect all portion sizes, a statement said.

Ahmed Mobasher, co-founder of Koala Picks, said: “The market is full of opportunities, and we are very excited to be investing in resources and creating new products to meet the demand.

“We’re all super optimistic for what the future holds, and we can’t wait to bring more innovative, nutritious snacks and products to the market.”