Gluten-Free Contract Manufacturing in the GCC
Coeliac UK–certified gluten-free contract manufacturing, made in Dubai
Skinny Genie is the GCC’s Coeliac UK–certified gluten-free contract manufacturer. From our dedicated 100% gluten-free facility in Al Quoz, Dubai, we formulate, produce, and pack private-label and white-label bakery, snack, and airline-meal products for hotels, airlines, retailers, and emerging brands across the Gulf — at industrial scale, with full allergen compliance and audit-ready documentation. Fourteen years in continuous production, zero compromise on cross-contact control, and a single point of contact end-to-end.
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Capabilities at a glance
| Category | Products | Format |
| Bakery | Cookies, muffins, brownies, breads, doughnuts, pastry | Fresh / frozen / ambient, multiple shelf-life options |
| Airline meal components | SPML meal trays, kids cookies, allergen-free cake portions | Frozen, vacuum-sealed, airline-spec compliant |
| Retail private label | Branded SKUs, packaging design, ready-for-shelf | All formats, retail compliance built in |
| Specialty diet lines | Top-14 allergen-free recipes, Jain-compliant, sugar-free, keto, low-calorie | All formats, custom R&D included |
| Premium confectionery | Date-based confectionery, ultrasonic-cut ranges, regional sweets | Premium retail / hospitality, precision-cut |
Minimum order quantities and lead times are confirmed at the brief stage.
Who we manufacture for
Airline & rail catering
SPML gluten-free meal trays, allergen-free kids cookies, individually portioned cake and pastry components, and Top-14 allergen-free recipe solutions. Our airline programmes are built for in-flight service realities — thaw-and-serve consistency, portion-controlled packaging, and bilingual English/Arabic allergen labelling. SPML-ready across GFML, VGML, DBML, AVML, VLML, MOML, and VJML categories.
Hotels & hospitality (private label)
Bespoke product development for premium hospitality clients — own-brand pastry programmes, signature dessert ranges, and exclusive-to-brand allergen-controlled formulations. Frozen, chilled, and ambient formats, built to your service model and brand identity.
Retail private label
Supermarket private-label gluten-free ranges, branded packaging design, and full retail compliance. We supply finished SKUs ready for shelf, with labelling, barcoding, and shelf-life testing already done.
Looking to stock our existing branded range at trade prices instead? See Wholesale, Catering & Manufacturing — faster onboarding, no R&D required.
From brief to shelf: our contract manufacturing process
A typical engagement runs in six steps:
- Brief and feasibility — R&D consultation, formulation review, regulatory check, and capability-fit confirmation.
- Recipe development and sample — working prototypes, taste and texture iterations, and a first sample for your evaluation.
- Pilot run and sensory validation — small-scale production run, internal sensory panel, shelf-life initiation.
- Compliance, labelling, and packaging — allergen declarations, nutritional analysis, Arabic translation, retail-ready labelling.
- Commercial run and QA — full production with batch testing, ELISA verification, and pre-shipment quality release.
- Ongoing supply and account management — replenishment scheduling, R&D extensions, and a dedicated account contact.
Timeframes are guidelines: a new SKU typically runs 6–10 weeks from brief to first commercial run, and existing-recipe production runs schedule in 2–4 weeks subject to capacity. Complex airline-spec or multi-SKU programmes run longer.
Certifications & compliance
Skinny Genie is one of a very small number of food manufacturers in the GCC to have earned every major food safety, allergen, and ethical certification available to a producer of our size — seven separate independent bodies have audited or recognised our dedicated facility in Al Quoz, Dubai.
- Coeliac UK / AOECS certified (CUK-G-145). The most rigorous gluten-free standard in the world, audited annually by SGS. Almost no manufacturer in the Middle East holds it.
- ISO 22000:2018 & HACCP certified. A documented, audited food safety management system — HACCP-certified continuously since 2017. Often the requirement that lets a hospitality group, supermarket, or airline put us on their menu or shelf.
- Dubai Municipality Grade A Gold. The highest food-safety grade, awarded to fewer than 2% of Dubai food establishments and only after physical inspection.
- 100% gluten-free facility with in-house ELISA lab. No wheat, rye, barley, or gluten-containing oats on the premises. We test every ingredient on receipt and every batch before release, below 5 ppm versus the 20 ppm international threshold.
- Halal (IHC) & Made in the Emirates (MOIAT). Audit-ready for GCC supplier onboarding and government procurement. Also Vegan Australia certified across 45 products.
See every certificate and download the full audit pack →
Why a regional manufacturer beats a US co-packer
For gluten-free manufacturing serving the Middle East, US co-packers are a poor fit regardless of their own certifications:
- Regional compliance. UAE MOIAT, Saudi SFDA, Qatar MoPH, and GCC Standardisation are our home frameworks, not a US co-packer’s specialty.
- Halal certification. Most US gluten-free co-packers are not halal-certified — a hard barrier for GCC distribution.
- Lead time and cost. Trans-Atlantic shipping adds 4–6 weeks and 20–35% in landed cost; frozen and chilled freight compress margin further.
- Climate-appropriate formulation. Gluten-free products formulated for North American humidity behave differently in Gulf conditions — texture, shelf life, and packaging integrity all suffer.
- Arabic packaging & regional taste calibration. Done in-house here; impossible for a US partner.
- Time zone & account management. A same-region partner shortens every decision cycle.
Case studies
A leading GCC airline — gluten-free meal programme. A major regional carrier needed a Coeliac UK–certified manufacturer for its in-flight gluten-free meal programme. We developed a five-SKU range across breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack categories, including kids and allergen-free options. In continuous production for several years, supplying tens of thousands of units per month with zero recall events.
A 5-star Dubai hotel group — frozen breakfast pastry programme. A premium hospitality client needed a frozen, thaw-and-serve gluten-free pastry range for breakfast service across multiple properties. We developed and produce a six-SKU range under the client’s private-label branding, with consistent quality across locations and a zero cross-contamination incident record.
An Emirati-founded retail brand — co-manufacturing partnership. An F&B brand extending into gluten-free without building manufacturing infrastructure partnered with us end-to-end — formulation, production, packaging, and compliance — freeing them to focus on marketing and distribution. The range is now stocked in major UAE retailers.
Named references available under NDA. Contact us for sector-relevant examples.
Where we ship
We are based in Al Quoz Industrial Area 3, Dubai, UAE, and export across the GCC and MENA — including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Egypt. We quote on broader destinations on request. For airline programmes, we work with your in-region catering partners for distribution.
Contract manufacturing FAQ
What are your minimum order quantities?
MOQs vary by product category and format. Bakery typically starts at a few thousand units per SKU per run for fresh and chilled formats, with higher MOQs for frozen and retail private label given the packaging and certification overhead. Pilot runs are available at lower volumes for new product validation. Specific MOQs are confirmed at the brief stage.
Are your products coeliac-safe?
Yes. We operate a dedicated 100% gluten-free facility, are Coeliac UK / AOECS certified (CUK-G-145, audited by SGS), and ELISA-test every batch in our in-house lab below 5 ppm — significantly stricter than the 20 ppm international threshold. Our products are served to coeliac customers across airline, hospitality, and healthcare programmes.
Do you offer recipe development and R&D?
Yes. R&D is a core service: new product development, reformulation of existing recipes for gluten-free production, allergen substitution, shelf-life optimisation, and GCC/MENA regulatory compliance. Most engagements include some level of R&D collaboration.
What is your lead time for a new product?
A new SKU from brief to first commercial run typically takes 6–10 weeks, depending on complexity, regulatory requirements, and packaging design. Existing-recipe production runs can be scheduled in 2–4 weeks subject to capacity. Airline-spec and retail private-label programmes carry additional compliance time.
Which allergens beyond gluten can you handle?
Our facility is 100% gluten-free as the foundational baseline. We also produce dairy-free, egg-free, sugar-free, lactose-free, soy-free, and nut-free lines, plus Jain-compliant and vegan ranges. We make recipes formulated without all 14 EU-regulated allergens for healthcare and airline programmes; each product’s allergen status, including any precautionary (“may contain”) information, is confirmed on its specification sheet.
Can you produce both private label and white label?
Yes. Private label means production under your brand, packaging, and label design. White label means your design over our existing recipes. Both are core services, and hybrid arrangements (your design, our recipe modified to spec) are common.
Do you do frozen, ambient, and chilled formats?
Yes, all three. Frozen is our largest category, particularly for airline meal components and hotel breakfast programmes. Ambient lines (cookies, biscuits, crackers) are produced for retail private label, and chilled bakery is available for HORECA programmes within UAE distribution.
How do you prevent cross-contamination?
There is no wheat-containing flour on site. Ingredients are sourced from gluten-free–certified suppliers, production lines are dedicated, and ELISA testing verifies every batch. Staff training is annual and audited. Cross-contamination control is the foundation of our QA programme.
Can you do Arabic and bilingual labelling?
Yes. Arabic translation and GCC-compliant nutritional and allergen declarations are a standard part of our compliance and labelling step, working to UAE MOIAT, Saudi SFDA, and wider GCC market requirements.
Do you ship outside the UAE?
Yes. We export across the GCC and MENA, including Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Egypt, and quote on broader destinations on request.
Can I visit your facility?
Yes. We welcome procurement and QA visits to our Al Quoz production facility in Dubai, arranged in advance for confidentiality and food-safety reasons.
Start a project
Tell us what you’re working on. We’ll respond within two working days with a feasibility note, capability fit, and a proposed next step.
Skinny Genie Bakery L.L.C — Al Quoz Industrial Area 3, Dubai, UAE | Founded 2012 | Coeliac UK / AOECS certified (CUK-G-145) | ISO 22000:2018 | HACCP | Dubai Municipality Grade A Gold | Halal & Made in the Emirates | Exporting across the GCC and MENA