U.S. Food Export to Qatar

Chihade International supplies American food products to distributors, hotels and foodservice operators in Qatar, shipped from our SQF-certified facility in Georgia. We are looking for a distributor partner in Qatar.

Why Qatar

A smaller but high-value market with a strongly hospitality-led demand profile. U.S. agricultural exports to Qatar were $152.3 million in 2023, led by beef, hay and poultry.

Qatar lifted its remaining ban on U.S. poultry from all states in September 2022, reopening a category that is still well below its potential. Purchasing power per head is among the highest in the region.

What We Do From the U.S.

We are a U.S. exporter. We do not operate warehouses or distribution in Qatar — that is what our distributor partners do. Our job is everything on the American side of the shipment:

• Sourcing from more than 300 U.S. manufacturers, to your specification
• Consolidating mixed loads into full containers, so you are not forced into single-supplier minimums
• Dry, chilled and frozen storage in our 64,000 sq. ft. SQF-certified facility in Lawrenceville, Georgia
• Arabic labelling, stickering and ink-jet date coding applied before goods leave the U.S.
• Export documentation — USDA and health certificates, halal certification where required, certificates of origin
• Ocean and air freight on contracted U.S. lanes, with expedited air for urgent replenishment

Import Requirements We Prepare For

The Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) Food Safety Department is the competent authority. Qatar operates a mandatory Certificate of Conformity programme, with products and importers registered in the WATHEQ system for a Product Registration Number.

Imported meat requires a health certificate from the country of export plus a halal slaughter certificate from an approved Islamic centre.

Labels must be Arabic, or Arabic and English. One Qatar-specific rule catches exporters out regularly: production and expiry dates must be printed on the original label or container by the manufacturer and cannot be added later by sticker.

Hamad Port at Umm Al Houl is the container gateway.

What We Look For in a Distributor Partner

We are deliberately selective, because these relationships tend to last decades rather than seasons. We are typically looking for:

• An established importer of record, with the licences and clearance experience the market requires
• Real coverage of at least one channel — modern retail, wholesale, foodservice distribution, or franchise supply
• Temperature-controlled storage and distribution appropriate to the categories you want to carry
• A sales team that can place and support a new brand rather than simply warehousing it
• An interest in a long-term programme, including exclusive lines where it makes sense for both sides

If that is a reasonable description of your business, we would like to talk.

See all markets we serve →

Frequently Asked Questions

Can we get exclusive rights to a brand in our market?

In many cases, yes. Chihade International is the exclusive distributor of Country Sun, our own brand of American cheeses, mayonnaise, frying oils, cheese sauce and breakfast meats. Where it makes commercial sense on both sides, we grant exclusive Country Sun distribution rights by territory — a line your competitors cannot stock. See the range at countrysunfoods.com.

Do you have a warehouse or office in Qatar?

No. Chihade International is a U.S. exporter based in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and we ship from there. We do not hold stock inside Qatar. Local importing, clearance, storage and distribution are handled by our distributor partners — which is precisely the role we are looking to fill.

Do we have to order a full container of a single product?

No. Consolidation is one of the main reasons distributors work with us. We combine products from multiple U.S. manufacturers into one container, so you can carry a broad range without committing to full-truckload minimums from each supplier.

Can expiry dates be added by sticker for Qatar?

No. Qatar requires production and expiry dates to be printed by the manufacturer on the original label or container. We ink-jet date code in Georgia at the point of packing, which satisfies this requirement.

Does Qatar have shelf-life-on-arrival requirements?

Qatar has historically applied a remaining-shelf-life rule on arrival, and a new technical regulation took effect in December 2025. Requirements in this area do change, so we confirm the current position per product and per shipment rather than working from a fixed assumption.

How We Work With Partners in Qatar

Whichever channel you operate in, the U.S. side of the shipment is the same: sourcing, consolidation, preparation and documentation from our SQF-certified facility in Lawrenceville, Georgia.

• Franchise export — supplying U.S. franchise brands at their locations in Qatar.
• Distributor partnerships — for importers and foodservice distributors carrying American lines.
• Retail and supermarket consolidation — an American grocery range without single-supplier minimums.
• Export warehousing and 3PL — dry, chilled and frozen under one roof in Georgia.
• All export services — the full picture of what we handle before a container sails.
• Beef and protein export — U.S. beef, poultry and seafood, including halal programmes, with plant eligibility confirmed for each market.

Useful reading: Halal certification: what actually matters  ·  Multi-language labelling for exported U.S. food  ·  How to become a distributor partner  · How franchise export works ·  all export guides

Become Our Distributor Partner in Qatar

Tell us about your market coverage and the products you are looking for, and we will be in touch about a distribution program.