U.S. Food Export to Saudi Arabia

Chihade International supplies American food products to distributors, foodservice operators and franchise groups across Saudi Arabia — shipped from our SQF-certified facility in Lawrenceville, Georgia. We are looking for distributor partners in the Kingdom.

Why Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia imports roughly 70% of the food it consumes, and food imports exceeded $20 billion in 2024. Retail food is worth around $59 billion and the hotel, restaurant and institutional sector around $29 billion, serving a population of 33 million that includes some 13 million expatriate residents.

For American suppliers that matters because the U.S. currently holds only about 5% of that import market. Demand for U.S. beef, poultry, dairy, snacks and branded grocery is established and growing, but the shelf space is largely held by suppliers from other origins. A distributor with real market coverage, working with a U.S. partner who handles the export side properly, has room to grow.

What We Do From the U.S.

We are a U.S. exporter. We do not operate warehouses or distribution in Saudi Arabia — 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

Getting product into the Kingdom cleanly depends on paperwork prepared correctly before departure. We handle that from our end.

The Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA) sets and enforces food import standards and inspects at port. Conformity documentation is filed through the SABER platform under the SALEEM programme.

Since SFDA Circular No. 10130/C, halal certificates for meat, poultry and products containing animal-derived ingredients must be issued by a certification body recognised by the Saudi Halal Center. A certificate from a non-recognised body will not clear, so we work only with recognised certifiers.

Arabic is mandatory on the label, either alone or alongside English, and dates must be uncoded. We apply compliant labelling in Georgia before shipment rather than leaving it to be corrected at destination.

Containerised food typically enters through Jeddah Islamic Port on the Red Sea or King Abdulaziz Port in Dammam on the Gulf, with King Abdullah Port at Rabigh a third gateway. Air freight moves through Riyadh and Jeddah.

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 Saudi Arabia?

No. Chihade International is a U.S. exporter based in Lawrenceville, Georgia, and we ship from there. We do not hold stock inside Saudi Arabia. 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 you supply halal-certified meat for the Saudi market?

Yes. We work with U.S. protein suppliers that specialise in halal production, and we arrange certification through bodies recognised by the Saudi Halal Center, as SFDA requires. We have a USDA inspector on site at our facility.

Who arranges the Arabic labelling?

We do, in Georgia, before the container ships. Our in-house labelling operation applies Arabic stickering and ink-jet date coding so goods arrive ready for inspection and sale rather than needing rework at destination.

What are your minimum order volumes?

Our typical minimum is around US $5,000 per order, though the exact threshold depends on your product mix and whether your shipment consolidates with other freight. We will confirm the right structure for your volume during an initial consultation.

How We Work With Partners in Saudi Arabia

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 Saudi Arabia.
• 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 Saudi Arabia

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