As premium snacking accelerates worldwide, Rifai CEO Tania Ezzedine draws on her brand’s Middle Eastern heritage and global expansion to explore what today’s consumers expect from snacks
Across international markets, we are seeing a significant shift in snacking: people still crave convenience and indulgence, but they increasingly expect quality, natural ingredients and real flavour. Consumers are looking for snacks that deliver pleasure and nutrition – something satisfying, not just empty calories.
Three macro-trends, in particular, are accelerating:
- Healthier indulgence – consumers still want treats but with better ingredients, lower sugar and more natural products
- Protein-rich snacking – nuts, seeds and nut mixes are gaining share, driven by the growth of vegetarian and vegan diets, as well as demand for pre- and post-sport snacking
- Authentic global flavours – consumers seek real stories, heritage, and non-generic spice blends.
Particularly in the UK, consumers have transitioned from “grab any snack quickly” to mindful snacking: products with traceable sourcing, plant-based benefits, protein and fibre.
Nuts, seeds and dried fruits are nutrient-rich by design: healthy fats, protein, energy and satiety – they feel like a smart choice. People perceive them as natural, honest snacks that fuel the day rather than create guilt.
At Rifai, this is where we naturally belong – our snacks are crafted from whole foods and bold in taste. We take nature’s ingredients and elevate them through expert dry-roasting. That makes the snacking experience indulgent but still wholesome – a rare balance.
And ‘healthy snacking’ is here to stay, as lifestyles stay busy, urbanised, and as health consciousness – including dietary preferences (plant-based, flexitarian) – continue to rise, demand for nutritious, convenient, tasty snacks seems set to increase. The definition of a “snack” is evolving. Consumers want nutritional value, premium ingredients, energy, taste excitement, and authenticity. Nuts and dried fruits naturally deliver on that – and brands like Rifai elevate the experience rather than compromise it.
Retailers today need to balance familiar comfort products with premium and better-for-you alternatives. Healthy snacks should not live only in the “wellness corner” – they deserve visibility in mainstream snacking.
We see healthier snacking becoming the new mainstream, not a niche – and Rifai is well-placed to lead with premium, global-flavour, heart-healthy options that bring joy as well as nourishment.
The Rifai business
Rifai’s story began in Beirut in 1948, when a small family business started roasting nuts using a method that quickly became a reference point across Lebanon. Since then, it has remained faithful to its tradition of providing an authentic experience to customers. From humble beginnings on a Mazraa street in Beirut, offering home-roasted nuts and kernels to the Lebanese, Rifai elevated the snacking experience to become an iconic symbol of Lebanese culture, pride and know-how. Throughout the years, the brand has established itself as an industry leader with a legacy built on quality, taste, innovation and a drive to promote the best of what Lebanon has to offer.
Since the 1940s, three generations of the Rifai family have carried forward the same artisanal know-how. But Rifai’s popularity in Lebanon stems from something deeper than taste and quality. For many Lebanese, the brand has been part of their lives for as long as they can remember and is tied to memory. Families grew up sharing Rifai nuts at gatherings, holidays, and Sunday lunches – it became a small but meaningful part of everyday life, and Rifai became a quiet marker of quality that has carried through generations.
Balancing heritage with innovation
The Rifai brand is a trusted symbol of quality. Lebanese consumers have always trusted Rifai for its uncompromising standards. We source nuts from the world’s best terroirs, select each crop with meticulous care, and dry-roast everything in our own facilities using a proprietary technique since the beginning. This commitment to craftsmanship has created a bond of trust that has endured for decades.
Our innovation is rooted in authenticity. While people love our classic pistachios, almonds, and cashews, and our iconic Mix Kernels, we’ve continually reinvented our range to reflect evolving tastes. New flavours like truffle cashews, chilli cashews, smoked almonds, and salted-lemon almonds coexist with healthier options such as trail mixes, nut bars, and raw nuts. Innovation keeps the brand relevant, but heritage keeps it loved.
With one of the most diverse nut and snack assortments in the category, Rifai offers something for every palate and every occasion – from festive gatherings to daily snacking. This breadth helped the brand become part of our consumers’ daily life.
The Rifai mission is to offer the best quality nuts, perfectly dry roasted for every customer that we serve. To achieve this, we are committed to three key elements:
- Craftsmanship – every product is roasted, blended, or coated with precision using techniques refined over 75 years.
- Ingredient integrity – we only source directly premium-grade raw nuts and ingredients.
- Freshness and flavour – we refuse to compromise on roasting profiles, batch sizes, or natural flavourings.
The UK launch
Rifai is today present in around 25 countries and 95 airports, but opening in London was still a big strategic milestone for the business. London is one of the world’s most influential food capitals, with a strong culture of premium retail, international flavours, and health-conscious consumers.
There were several signals for us that made the UK a clear priority for expansion. These include:
- Rapid growth of premium snacking, especially in nuts, protein snacks, and permissible indulgence.
- Consumer appetite for the ‘Mediterranean art de vivre’: quality of raw materials, conviviality, generosity and warmth.
- A mature retail ecosystem receptive to challenger brands with craft positioning.
- High demand from UK-based consumers already buying Rifai overseas or online, and the Middle-East / Lebanese diaspora.
Establishing a flagship store in London has allowed us to showcase the Rifai brand in a market that values quality and craftsmanship and position Rifai where global trends are set. It is also key to our continuing expansion in Europe after the opening of two stores in Paris, and to building brand awareness in Europe through premium retail.
The UK is ahead in many of the health and snacking trends we are seeing globally. UK shoppers adopt new snacking formats more quickly, and they are comfortable paying a premium for provenance and craftsmanship. They are also particularly open to Mediterranean flavours, which puts Rifai in a very strong position.
We chose Knightsbridge for our first British store, a place that attracts both residents and international visitors. The aim was not only to sell products, but to create a space that represents the brand itself.
It is a calm, bright space that offers roasted nuts, chocolate, dates and Lebanese coffee in a clean layout. Customers are encouraged to taste and the staff offer samples openly and guide people through the different mixes and flavours – we really want people to live the Rifai experience.
The ‘create your own mix’ counter is proving particularly popular with the local shoppers – customers buy by weight and assemble their own blend, essentially a pick and mix. Many choose the signature mixed selection, others experiment with truffle, chilli, smoked or citrus-coated nuts. The flexibility appeals to both newcomers and people who already know the brand well.
Sales-wise so far, roasted nuts, our signature Mix Kernels and our Truffle Cashews are proving particularly popular in London. Customers are also big chocolate fans – especially our chocolate-covered Medjool dates, whose quality is quite unique on the market and unlike anything else currently available in the UK.
This first store in the UK was also the first with a Rifai Café, showcasing our roasting expertise through Lebanese blends alongside a more traditional coffee-shop offer, and the first Rifai ‘Chocolate Corner’, offering a wide range of fine chocolates and the now very famous Dubai chocolate. We also have an extensive gifting range; Rifai produces seasonal collections for Christmas, Ramadan, Easter, Diwali and other celebrations.
The UK also serves as a gateway to Europe. Success in London builds credibility with key European markets (France, Germany, the Netherlands) and with major retailers. For us, it’s the cornerstone of our broader European expansion.
About Tania Ezzedine
A former L’Oréal and LVMH executive, Tania Ezzedine is the CEO of the Rifai Group (including Rifai Nuts, Rifai Café and Souchet Chocolatier). She was the first female Lebanese CEO to lead a family business without being a member of the family. Her role at Rifai has seen her fully rebrand and transform the iconic Lebanese brand, and she also launched Souchet, a leading Lebanese chocolatier, from concept to creation.
