Homegrown DXB with Omar Butti

This is Homegrown DXB, hosted by Omar Butti, the show taking you inside the lives of the people changing yours, right here in Dubai.

This is Homegrown DXB, hosted by Omar Butti, the show taking you inside the lives of the people changing yours, right here in Dubai. Today we’re getting a taste of the east with Chang Sup Shin, the CEO of 1004 gourmet, a Korea supermarket that has grown into a pan Asian retail food retail brand that supplies the likes of Carrefour, Nobu, Burj Al Arab, and Zuma.1004 gourmet was opened in 2008 by Chang’s father Dong Chul Shin, but Chang and his family have been Dubai residents for over 30 years, coming to our shores in 1992. Growing up in Dubai gave Chang an appreciation for the rich culinary landscape of the emirate, but also an awareness of the opportunities that were open to someone offering the best products from Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, and China. His experience and passion for a good meal also led him to expand into the restaurant space with Seoul Street Café, Ugly Burger, and Ugly Noodles.

This is Homegrown DXB, hosted by Omar Butti, the show taking you inside the lives of the people changing yours, right here in Dubai.

Our guests today know how to keep it in the family. Jamal Hussain and Halima Jumani are the power couple at the helm of Kibsons International LLC, the company supplying Dubai and the region with quality produce and products for the past four decades. Kibsons was founded in back 1982 in Dubai with a handful of employees by Hussain Ismail Khatri, Jamal's father, but has now grown to number over 1500. Kibsons distributes a staggering half a million kilos of produce everyday servicing everyone from markets to restaurants to Emirates and Etihad in-flight catering. Jamal took over the reigns in 1997, with Halima joining him in the family business in 2007.

This is Homegrown DXB, hosted by Omar Butti, the show taking you inside the lives of the people changing yours, right here in Dubai.

Our guest today has built a beach safety and rescue program that some have described as Dubai's answer to Baywatch. If you frequent Kite Beach here in the Dubai you've probably seen the army of children in red laying claim to that shoreline. But Pirate Surf Rescue is far more than that. Candy Fanucci founded Pirate Surf Rescue UAE in 2010 with only five students, but the organization has grown to number in the thousands. From daring rescues to life lessons, Pirates Surf seeks to not just teach tangible skills, but to influence the outlook of a generation. The beachside business has been so successful it has moved beyond our shores and is currently expanding into Saudi Arabia. Since arriving in Dubai in the year 2000, Candy has been an advocate for the power of an active lifestyle and Pirates Surf is the manifestation of her vision to give children and families alike access to health and happiness

This is Homegrown DXB, hosted by Omar Butti, the show taking you inside the lives of the people changing yours, right here in Dubai.

Our guests today run the cleanest business there is. Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui, the founders of Washmen, have been keeping our clothes, shoes, and accessories sparkling since 2015. The pair struck up a university friendship that turned into an ongoing business partnership, keeping 8,000 households in clean linens a month.

What was first an asset light app to connect customers to cleaners has evolved to take the washing into their own hands. After traveling the world to see the twenty top laundries, from France to South Korea, Washmen spent 18 months building a state-of-the-art facility in Jebel Ali that is revolutionizing the way we do laundry. But the launch of their facility didn’t come without its setbacks. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and stiff competition meant nothing came easily. But through it all the all, the Washmen were never afraid to get their hands dirty to get the job done.

Welcome to the first episode of Homegrown DXB, hosted by Omar Butti, the show taking you inside the lives of the people changing yours, right here in Dubai. Our guest today knows a good deal when she sees it and isn't afraid to drive a hard bargain. Donna Benton first graced the shores of Dubai all way back at the turn of the millennium and her buy one get one free sensation, The Entertainer, has been a fixture of our households ever since. Those who lived through the 2000s and into the 2010s will no doubt have vivid memories of hefty voucher books on coffee tables, regular voucher exchange parties, and new experiences curated by the cut of a coupon. Now all the same deals can be experienced with the tap of an app.The Entertainer is a juggernaut operating across 15 different countries, but Donna’s journey with the business was anything but straightforward. From the struggle of finding those first partners, to a 50% sale in 2015 and a 100 million dollar exit from The Entertainer in 2018, to a triumphant return as CEO and shepherd of The Entertainer in 2023, Donna is someone who is always looking to get the most out of any opportunity.