This year, International Women’s Day is Tuesday, March 8. We’re proud to join in this movement to celebrate the successes of women and share with you the amazing suppliers we work with in which female founders, artisans, and leaders are integral to their business. According to smallbizgenius, business owners among women make up less than 10% of the entrepreneurial world in the Middle East. That’s the widest gender gap in the world. We’re incredibly passionate about helping current and future business owners and are determined to help lessen this gap by raising up female-owned and female-ran businesses.

 

These women are motivated and ready to take on challenges. In fact, the aforementioned source states Middle Eastern women who own businesses are among the most ambitious and they are more likely to do business internationally. About 29% of women-owned businesses in the Middle East and North Africa are considered international, surpassing the rate for male-owned companies. Get to know these hard working and creative women. 

 

 

AviSaine- Founder Christine aims for AviSaine Atelier Bio Naturel to offer the highest-grade of organic and homemade Lebanese specialties made with a strict standard of purity that includes using natural fertilizers and ecological packaging. AviSaine carries a wide range of products from olives to orange blossom water.

 

 

 

Bites of Delight- Bites of Delight is a plant-based snack provider with a mission to change the snacking industry for the better. Their belief in the power of whole foods means all Bites of Delight snacks are made from 100% natural ingredients, 100% of the time. Co-founder Melissa is a nutritionist that ensures only the healthiest ingredients are in production. These goodies are all gluten free and vegan as well!

 

 

Celine Homemade Delights- Celine is a mother, baker, and specialty food artisan who creates all her homemade spreads and halawa according to traditional Lebanese recipes and methods. Each handwritten label is a reminder of the company's simple beginnings at the Souk El Tayeb farmer's market in Beirut. The halawa and spreads she creates are delectable and delicious.

 

  

 

Jar Thuraya- Founder Martine strives for gender equality and to preserve Lebanese heritage, hence, the creation of Jar Thuraya. This inclusive community of female artisans from across Lebanon specialize in handcrafted, local, gourmet delicacies inspired by the traditional mouneh (celebrating traditions that preserve nature’s bounty, Lebanese-style). They describe their items as “stories from Lebanon served in jars.”

 

 

Kaaju- This family-run business makes wholesome snacks for fast-paced lifestyles. Co-founders Nada and Alia took inspiration from the meals commonly prepared in their home influenced by South East Asian, West Asian and African cuisines. Their uniquely flavored nuts are 100% natural, paleo-friendly, small batch and vegan.

 

 

  

L’atelier du Miel- Madame Zalfa is the mother of the founders of L’atelier du Miel and continues to be the main chef within their operation. She is the master behind their nougat and other delicacies. This brand is passionate, conscientious, ambitious, and customer-oriented and believes that the benefits of environmental and economic sustainability can nurture people’s lives.

 

 

  

Raw Bites- Raw Bites is a young Lebanese company dedicated to healthy, nutritious, and yummy snacks produced from real food only. They create tasty, good-for-you nibbles, do their best to help their community and try to spread some happiness along the way. The sales and marketing efforts of these award-winning snacks are led by Nour.

 

  

 

Salma- Owner Rosemary created Salma as a legacy to her great-grandmother. She was a pioneer of homemade beauty products in Lebanon in the 1930s. The brand’s plant-based body care products celebrate the natural bounty of Lebanon and mother earth’s generosity by creating products that are safe, non-toxic, and highly effective.

 

 

  

TAQA- These are snacks on a mission to save the planet! Their founder Soumaya is passionate about upholding sustainable practices that create good snacks for both you and the earth. Their energy bars and cookies include plant-based Mediterranean ingredients and are all natural, vegan, wheat free, yeast free, palm oil free, corn free, soy free, and GMO free.