Cairo – Maii Abdo:
In one of the most complex food markets in Egypt—a market that recognizes only numbers and shows no mercy to repetition—the name Mahmoud Sadeq stands out as one of the commercial minds that built its expertise through time, experience, and real accumulation, not slogans.
As Commercial Director of Miza, he represents a sales professional who believes that success is neither inherited nor granted, but created through knowledge, discipline, and integrity of intention.
Mahmoud Sadeq, a graduate of the Faculty of Social Work in 1996, did not follow a conventional path. He began his professional journey early, accumulating 27 years of experience in the food industry, including 15 years in one of the most sensitive and complex sectors: frozen and fresh products.
During this period, he moved between nearly ten leading companies in the poultry and meat industry within the Egyptian market. He did not rely on experience alone, but reinforced it with academic knowledge by earning a Master’s degree in Business Administration specialized in the poultry and meat sector, placing himself in a rare position that combines academic understanding with daily market engagement.Mahmoud Sadeq speaks in numbers before impressions.
According to his analysis, the frozen meat and poultry market in Egypt is valued at approximately EGP 25 billion annually, with a growth rate of nearly 8% per year, and expectations of even higher inflation in the coming years. This growth is driven by lifestyle changes, time constraints, and the increasing reliance of a wide segment of consumers on fast food and ready-to-cook products, not as a luxury but as a practical necessity.
He points out that Egypt’s consumption map still leans heavily toward fresh products: 65% of consumers rely on fresh poultry, 15% on imported frozen products, and 21% on locally produced frozen products. However, these ratios are not fixed; they shift with price changes, consumer behavior, and the level of trust in local brands.
Mahmoud Sadeq believes that the Egyptian frozen food market has entered a phase of intense saturation, describing it as a “red ocean,” where competition has become so fierce that it has caused real losses for well-known brands—not due to market weakness, but because of a lack of innovation and poor management.Through field research he personally conducted over years of work, he concluded that the market includes 66 meat and poultry manufacturing companies producing around 104 brands, displayed in freezer spaces that sometimes do not exceed one and a half meters.
These companies work with approximately 500 distribution companies dealing in frozen, cooked, and fresh products, serving nearly 49,500 retail outlets nationwide. He emphasizes that these numbers are likely to increase significantly with market changes and the entry of new players.Mahmoud Sadeq also highlights the importance of supporting sectors, noting that the tourism market alone includes around 13,000 hotels, 338 tourist resorts, and thousands of restaurants and cafés.
In addition, there are nearly 200 local electronic platforms and 11 global platforms operating in food distribution, opening new horizons for brands capable of adaptation and smart expansion.At the heart of this intense competition, Miza chose a different path. Mahmoud Sadeq explains that Miza’s products rely on 100% fresh raw materials, which is why their shelf life does not exceed three months—a deliberate decision, not a manufacturing flaw.
The company does not flood the market with large quantities, nor does it bet on long-term storage; instead, it aims to deliver the feel and quality of fresh products.Miza follows a gradual supply policy, starting with limited quantities to reduce risk for both the company and distributors, then increasing volumes based on demand movement.
Mahmoud Sadeq considers proximity to the production date the true indicator of success for any frozen food company.He believes that the frozen food sector is among the most profitable for competent employees, yet at the same time one of the most challenging.
The product is highly sensitive, and any disruption in temperature can turn it from a beneficial product into a health risk. Therefore, companies spend substantial sums on preservation, transportation, and after-sales service.He stresses that the first sale is the most important and must be carefully planned with small quantities, selecting products suitable for the nature of each area, and closely monitoring sales movement.
When true harmony exists between marketing and sales management, products reach the right places, in the right quantities, achieving the difficult equation of customer profitability and brand trust.Mahmoud Sadeq warns that one of the greatest risks facing the market is the high value of a single carton, which multiplies losses if awareness is absent among decision-makers or distributors.
For this reason, Miza adopts a risk-distribution approach rather than risk concentration, dealing with 100 to 200 distributors with small quantities, accompanied by continuous follow-up and guidance. Reducing quantities, diversifying products, and maintaining regular monitoring significantly increase success rates.
When speaking about professional ethics, Mahmoud Sadeq adopts a different tone. He considers trade a noble profession—the profession of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)—and believes it cannot succeed without honesty, trustworthiness, and sincerity in word and action.
He emphasizes that no one takes another’s livelihood, and that provision comes according to intentions.From his perspective, success begins with sincere intention, followed by knowledge.
The first step is collecting historical data and analyzing it honestly to transform weaknesses into sources of strength, followed by seizing opportunities and developing countermeasures to threats based on real numbers.
The most critical step, however, is placing the right person in the right position without personal biases or incorrect cost calculations, because wasted time and effort are more expensive than any salary.
Mahmoud Sadeq strongly criticizes the practice of exhausting managers and skilled professionals or stealing their efforts and ideas, considering it a major reason for stalled growth in many companies, especially with raw material costs reaching 65% of capital.
He believes that investing in people is more important than investing in equipment, and that the person who designs the plan is the only one capable of completing it. He warns that changing management without awareness creates negativity that spreads among employees and then to the market, ultimately damaging the company’s reputation.
He also considers the absence of governance to be one of the biggest issues in the sector, asserting that interference by investors and board chairmen in operational details is the primary cause of failure for many companies.
In contrast, most global companies rely on governance frameworks to achieve maximum profitability.According to Mahmoud Sadeq, the results of a successful manager become evident within three to six months.
The first sale is merely an introduction, while the second and third sales are the true proof of success. Establishing a stable presence in the Egyptian market requires no less than a full year, in a market that may be unregulated but is rich with opportunities for those who know how to seize them.
He concludes by emphasizing that the frozen food industry depends on sensitive external inputs such as feed, foreign currency, shipping, storage, and infrastructure. Any disruption in these factors is immediately reflected in production and cost.
Nevertheless, he notes that the state is working to provide solutions and support to overcome these challenges.Ultimately, Mahmoud Sadeq does not view success as coincidence, nor the market as luck.
For him, it is a complex equation built on knowledge, ethics, management, and ambition—and whoever possesses these elements can, regardless of the intensity of competition, carve out their own place by their own hands.
