Joining Maria Botros in this week’s Tell Me Why podcast episode is Nasser Al Messabi, CEO and Founder of Low Calories, whose company recently underwent a rebrand.
Nasser: Rebranding is part of a company’s development, and part of it’s journey into a new era
I needed a logo, colors and branding that can portray healthy living and cater to healthy people, says Nasser
Nasser: Colors have a greater meaning than their visual appearance, which is why we chose orange for our new logo, to portray health
Most health brands choose the color green to depict health, but I didn’t want to follow their footsteps, explains Nasser
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Nasser: Rebranding is part of a company’s development, and part of it’s journey into a new era
I needed a logo, colors and branding that can portray healthy living and cater to healthy people, says Nasser
Nasser: Colors have a greater meaning than their visual appearance, which is why we chose orange for our new logo, to portray health
Most health brands choose the color green to depict health, but I didn’t want to follow their footsteps, explains Nasser
Read the full story here:
See more videos at https://gulfnews.com/videos
Read more Gulf News stories here: https://bit.ly/2HLJ2km
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NewsTranscript
00:00We call it here in the Arabic country like hospital food. Yes, exactly
00:05Stale unseasoned. Yes. Okay, so that's how the healthy food should look like
00:12That's it. Okay, so we break this rule. Okay by bringing like
00:20Similar to what the Italian restaurants serve
00:24Okay as a presentation and as a taste, but we did it in a healthy way
00:30So we try to kind of all these tests I retired
00:40All right, Nasser al-Masabi CEO and founder of low calories joins us in the studio today, it's lovely having you
00:47Thank you very much. I'm so happy to be here with you
00:51Yes
00:51I mean we started the conversation before we hit record because like you have so much to say and I'm so happy
00:57That you're gonna be sharing this with the audience because I'm one that has tried your brand
01:03years ago, of course, and my husband has and I
01:08Truly respect any brand that you know promotes goodness
01:11I appreciate what you're doing for everyone and I appreciate your mission the mission of your company
01:16And I want you to just tell us a bit more about the beginning. Like how did you start this journey?
01:21Why did you start low calories? Was it like a personal reason was there?
01:27You know a trigger maybe
01:30you know like
01:31First of all, like I'm happy like to be here and sharing like my story for the first time in my life in English. Oh
01:37Okay. I
01:40Did a lot of podcasts, but it's all in Arabic. Okay, so it's the first time that I I'm going to speak in English
01:48Amazing, and I hope my English it will help me to finish like this interview. It's perfect. You're doing a fantastic job
01:54So the beginning like
01:57Most of people like they think that I'm I'm having a low calorie in seven countries and like more than 55 branch
02:03Okay, and the biggest like in GCC. They will think like it's oh
02:08This guy like he's very smart in business. They don't know like the background that I lost in
02:13Before low calories. I've I lost like in four different businesses. Okay
02:19No income lose 100%
02:22Okay
02:23Real-estate I open like woman tailor shop. Okay different businesses. I lost in all of them
02:30Okay. Meanwhile, I was going to the gym and
02:34Regular basis. Okay
02:37so
02:38I was doing my healthy food inside my home. Okay, so I said like
02:44Why why you don't do something at least like you love you like?
02:48Okay, why you go like to something that you have no knowledge about it and that's like some mistake of people they do it
02:56Okay
02:57They hear like there's a money in the coffee. Do you have a like emotional like the coffee?
03:02No, it's just I'm looking for money, which I don't prefer. Sometimes you have to love to love something to do it
03:09Absolutely. Okay, so I loved the
03:13Healthy lifestyle I've been doing it my own myself
03:17So I said like at least when I open something I open something that I have like basic standard on it
03:24knowledge, okay
03:26So yeah in 2016 I open low calories. Okay, it was like a very small shop in Shahama
03:35with
03:36Like the best wish that I will wish at this time. It's just to make a revenue
03:41I said like I'm enough from losing money. Okay, so
03:46It's went viral and here I am sitting with you imagine
03:51amazing amazing and I'm telling you it did it did go viral because I
03:55When I first heard that you're gonna be joining us and that you're the founder of low calories
04:00I was like, oh my gosh, I tried it. I used to love it
04:02We did it for two years
04:03And I think the one thing that I appreciated the most is that your meals tasted like home-cooked meals
04:08I think a lot of times when we think of like fitness journey and like, you know meal meal prepping
04:15We think of boring meals we think of you know, stale
04:20Yes, I know but I just wanted to mention that and I and I appreciate it
04:25But you know, it's funny that you mentioned inception because low calories has grown
04:30Massively since its inception and I just wanted to ask you
04:35What do you think was the key to the success of low calories, especially in a competitive market like
04:43GCC region and not just the UAE but the MENA region as well
04:47We cannot say like it's it's a one key. Okay, there is a different
04:54Different things helped me like with growing like this fast
04:59First it's development. Okay, always like in low calorie
05:05Doing like something trendy something like new we shock like the people here inside UAE with doing something
05:13Should not be healthy. Mmm, and we do it healthy. Okay session ice cream in summer
05:20Okay session, maybe, you know, like the famous Arabic sweet is called Om Ali. Oh, of course
05:28So, yeah, it's yummy it's you want to eat it but you want to eat it without any regret without guilt
05:34exactly, so
05:36That's what we've been doing in low calorie most of the time. Okay
05:41Developing our menu and competing and there is something else how you said
05:47the food
05:49Before like 2016 in UAE. It was a diet
05:54Okay, which is like we call it here in the Arabic country like hospital food. Yes, exactly
06:00Stale and seasoned. Yes. Okay, so that's how the healthy food should look like
06:08That's it. Okay, so we break this rule. Okay by bringing like
06:15Similar to what the Italian restaurants serve
06:19Okay as a presentation and as a taste, but we did it in a healthy way with the perfect
06:26Presentation, okay. So when you go to low calorie, that's what I love the most most of the people when they eat it
06:34Are you sure it's healthy? Okay. Yeah, because it's really delicious if it's that's healthy
06:39I'm gonna like to be with you for one year. Yes. Okay, it's easy to keep and diet with you
06:47Okay, so and even I don't like to call it diet. I caught like healthy lifestyle
06:53Which like which the people have to live their life
06:57Okay, they have like to be in all the year
07:03Okay
07:04Eating something healthy and even when you want like eat a cheesecake or omali or anything
07:10I will give you the option to do this without guilt
07:14so
07:15Marketing a lot of marketing a lot of hard work. There's a lot of keys like to reach to this chair today
07:23It's great that you mentioned development because that's actually the next point that we're gonna discuss is
07:28Part of this development is the rebrand that you recently went through
07:33But why did you make that decision like what?
07:36You know pushed you or encouraged you to rebrand low calories
07:43Sometimes it's it's part of the development. Okay, so
07:48the logo the old logo
07:51It did the job
07:54Okay, now it's a new era. Okay
07:58Now I've been like in a countries that I never thought that I will be in no, there's a lot
08:05Okay, there's like soon like there's a franchise in New York. Okay, there's in Turkey. There's in Bulgaria
08:12There is in Belgium. Okay all this. Okay. It's still like never been announced
08:17Okay, but this will open like very soon not in 24 and 25, but it's under process already
08:25Okay, so I need at this time. Okay. I need a logo and colors and branding
08:33It's communicating specially with the healthy people
08:38Okay, I tried my best to not do like any mistake with the rebranding
08:43Okay, because I wanted that my new logo, okay the new low calories to really communicate with everyone
08:51Easy to see. Okay
08:54Nice color. Yeah, it's talking to me. Okay in a very nice way
09:00So that's the main reason like why we did like the new logo the rebrand
09:06Do you mind sharing with the audience what the new color is because you mentioned that there's a new color
09:10Do you want to share it or is it still it's still okay, we're gonna have a big reveal
09:15Yes, but we did get a an exclusive piece of news. Is that you're opening globally?
09:23It's different areas. Nothing. It will keep secret from your audience. It's orange
09:29Amazing. So now we know the new color. It's orange. Do you want to tell us the reason why behind the orange?
09:36usually like
09:37The colors it's speaking like to to yourself without you knowing. Okay
09:44We've been speaking about this like before like we start this. Okay, so usually when you see anything red
09:51Okay, it's a warning
09:53It's like Argentine news. Yes. Okay, so it's always the red it's getting your attention
09:59Okay red it's mean. Hey, there is something
10:03Okay, for that's like the police they using red signboard all the way. Okay to get your attention
10:09Why they don't use yellow yellow it will not get to your attention
10:14Okay, so all the street it's red. Okay attention
10:21Once you see yellow you think about your kids you think about toy
10:26Sunshine. Yeah
10:28Remember like the duck that it's yellow
10:31Okay, yeah, so yellow it's showing like happiness, okay, okay, so
10:38Green
10:39It's health orange
10:42its health and
10:44Too many like people they said Nasser green
10:47Nasser green. Okay. I said, okay guys green its health
10:51but
10:5380 or 90 percent of the healthy food restaurants in the world. They using the green
10:58Yes, why I want to follow like the same line I will go with orange
11:03Okay, so
11:05For that's what we decide like to go to with the orange
11:09Amazing amazing and now that we mentioned health. I mean we're gonna talk about you know
11:14sustainability and locally sourced ingredients
11:18and how they are central in the operation of low calories, so
11:24How do these?
11:25Values align with the brand's vision for the future and how is this benefiting your customers?
11:33either locally or globally
11:35Okay
11:37first like
11:39We we have to know like there's there's a lot of departments. It's it's controlling like all the standards in low calorie
11:46Okay, for example, I cannot launch any menu or the chef. He cannot launch any menu before like
11:54Approval from like the nutritionist department. Okay, which is like too much including inside the kitchen with us
12:02Okay, so I'm really be careful. Okay to do the balance between like the taste
12:09Okay, and the quality. Okay and the calories
12:15Okay, so for example, let's let's give like a quick example so the people they can understand okay
12:24Using like a tenderloin beef, which is like the less fat, okay, and that's what I'm doing usually like it's a tenderloin beef
12:31Okay, Brazilian or like South African or like whatever the country is. Okay
12:37so after like bringing the beef and it should be like very good quality because I
12:42Know the people here like the standard of the people in UAE. It's very high. Honestly, okay
12:48It's very high in everything in cars in food in everything. Okay, not like other countries without mentioning any country
12:55Okay, but there is some countries the standard is very less here in UAE. The standard is very high
13:02So really you have to choose the quality if you want to continue in the market for a long time
13:07Okay, you have to consider from like purchasing all the items. Okay, what's the items? It's coming inside your kitchen
13:15Okay, because you're dealing with the people that's very picky with the food and the competition here is very high
13:22Okay, so if you serve something not good, you will miss you will not stay too long
13:27Okay. So after like
13:30The product and the quality finish go to the second part the taste
13:36Okay, the taste that's me. I prove it only
13:38Yes
13:41So after like I it's it has to be something it will blow my mind
13:46I don't know if it's a diet or not till the moment
13:49But the chef, okay his mission it's to blow my mind and I swear to God sometimes he reached like to 25 meal
13:56It's all rejected
13:58Wow, okay, it's not bad. All of them is good
14:02But it's nothing deserve to be in my new menu and to announce it Wow
14:07Okay, so once I choose this one
14:11Okay. Now what I hate and he hate that's there is another department have to approve it, which is the nutritionist nutritionist
14:19And she's tough. Okay tougher than you. Yeah tougher than me
14:24Because like if she said like I like it I want this to go in my menu. Okay, if she said no
14:33She will kill me because I have to list the ingredients to go lower with the calories, okay
14:40Okay
14:41So trust me when I'm telling you each each meal inside my menu
14:47Okay, it's got my approval and it's approved calorie from the nutritionist
14:54Fantastic fantastic that actually takes me to my next question because you know
14:59Much of the services that you provide
15:03Include personalized, you know meal prepping and nutrition and that's what makes you stand out in the market as well
15:09so how does your
15:11Your team ensure that even though you are going through the you know, this this three-step process
15:19That they are actually accommodating to the customers needs and satisfaction as well
15:23So like how do you create that perfect balance of also satisfying the customer, okay
15:30For a customer for us anyone if I will go restaurant if you will go restaurant, okay
15:36there's like
15:38There's like two important things. Okay, that's you wishing to find in any restaurant. You will go to right?
15:45Okay for you as as a customer
15:48price
15:50Absolutely service
15:52Absolutely, give me this two things. Okay, even if your food like in the medium, okay or good not Wow, okay
16:00Because of your price and your services I might come again and again. Okay, because you're not that's bad. Mm-hmm. Okay, so
16:09As a price we consider always
16:12Okay, the diet food. It's not like the burger if I will tell you if I will ask a question
16:17How many how many time you eat pizza per day per week per month
16:23Like once a month once a month. Okay, the problem my concept is different
16:29When you decide to do a diet, you will have your breakfast lunch and dinner
16:35Okay, so you will be every day with me
16:39Okay, so my concept it's different than the pizza. It's different than the burger. It's different than the other restaurants
16:46Okay, the healthy concepts Nasser once someone decide to be healthy
16:52He will be with you in a breakfast and lunch and dinner
16:55Because it's like it's a long process to reach or to achieve his target
17:01Okay, so he need a good price
17:05Because if I sell like for example the meal by 100 dirham and every day he will spend 300 dirham in a food
17:12Okay, that will make it 9,000 per month
17:15Yeah, he would never come of course, nobody will be this
17:19Okay, but if you're telling him like the whole month you will spend only 2,000 dirham
17:25Or 1,500 to get your three meals. So that's me like your meals per day. It's the three meals. It's by 50 dirham
17:33He would say it's very cheap
17:36Honestly, and it's much better than cooking. They were delivered to my house and
17:41This is for the price for the services. Okay
17:45You want for example
17:47And I'm the only one in UAE who's doing this. Okay
17:52you want to go like to
17:55To subscribe with any diet restaurant healthy restaurant
18:00The first things really like you require it's like a nutritionist to help you. Okay
18:06For me, I have me or like my sister or my mom or my dad
18:11Okay, they want this service but I have to take them like to any close clinic to do the measurement of like
18:18Embody machine you get like how much fat what's your weight? What's the water? What's all this?
18:23For me. I have an office car. It will reach to your home. Okay, and
18:29Inside this car. It's the nutritionist
18:32She will sit inside your home. Okay or down in the building
18:36You will come you will spend with the doctor 15 minutes you will get like the full
18:41Consultation plus the embody for free
18:45Wow
18:47That is fascinating. Yeah, and that it's part like of the deal when you subscribe
18:51She will do like your schedule as per the calorie that you need
18:55Okay, and you don't have to go to visit the restaurant once the nutritionist will come to you the team
19:01They would send you the link to pay. Okay, and the food it will deliver after 24 hours
19:07So the people in UA they're looking for two things price and service if you provide this
19:14What you need more
19:16So for that's like we are trying like our best to always improve this two-part
19:23Amazing. Okay. So speaking of services then, you know you with over 50 locations across the MENA region
19:30How do you maintain?
19:33Consistent quality and good service
19:36Across all the branches. I mean, how is that even possible? I find that fascinating with all these branches
19:42I mean that your passion for sure is one of the driving factors, but how do you do it?
19:49Practically speaking and what are some of the challenges that you faced, you know when you were expanding across the region
19:57I
19:59Always say like the same word for anyone asking you this question
20:02Okay, if they do it, I can do it here like for the standard for the food standard everything all the recipes
20:09It's coming like from one source
20:12Nobody know what's the recipes?
20:15Okay, it's sealed. Okay, it's ship to each country
20:21Okay, so that's make it like so easy the taste it's one taste because it's coming out from one source
20:28Okay, and for the management for sure like we have like a
20:33Specialized system that's everyone. It's working inside the system. So the system it's controlling us
20:40Nobody can ask for anything apart from the system. Nobody what's happening. Nobody calling nothing
20:47It's all inside the system
20:49If you want a vacation, it's inside the system. Okay HR. It's inside the system finance
20:55It's inside the system
20:56Even if you purchase like anything you have to edit it inside the system. You have to request for purchasing anything from the system
21:05So for that's like there is a standard and they have like specialized team who's like training team
21:11who's like taking rounds as an inspection for all the branches, okay, and
21:18they doing like
21:21Mmm, there's like no time for the inspection
21:23So nobody know when they will come and when they will come like they will have like the full report about this restaurant
21:30Okay, and if this restaurant like stand like standard like from 1 to 10, so they give me if is it 7
21:37We will give like warning letter for like the branch. Okay, if is it below 8, it's a warning letter
21:43It should be like 8 above. Oh, wow
21:46Okay, and what are some of the challenges that you faced, you know with trying to enforce this system across all the branches
21:53okay, the
21:55The challenge is the most challenges. It's like not inside the UAE UAE. It's easy. I live here
22:01I easily control it. It's outside. Okay, especially with
22:06With the government process in a different country
22:09Honestly, like always when I go out I miss UAE like a government of UAE because everything here
22:15It's like easy. Okay, you can do it online application, right? Okay, you know like in any country without mentioning any country
22:23Okay, because I don't want to like get hated. Okay, but any other country? Okay when I go there
22:30It's just like for example to bring one employee from outside the country to this country. Okay the process itself
22:39Okay, it will kill you. I'm just talking about simple thing
22:43Okay, if you want to go to visit this country, okay, he have to do a lot of process in his country
22:50To come in and I have to do a lot of process in in his in the country itself. Okay
22:56Plus the fees of UAE. It's here. Okay
23:02The closest country it's here
23:05Imagine so as a fees as a process, okay, I swear to God not because I'm local
23:13I swear, okay, nothing
23:16No country which even like close to UAE in a process
23:21Nothing everything here. It's very easy. It's very supportive for a business the problem here
23:29it's
23:32Everything it's available and massive
23:35so if you want healthy a
23:37thousand option if you want coffee
23:41Don't talk about it. Okay burger. Don't talk about it anything cars. Don't talk about it
23:47Okay, I swear to God like there's some countries. They don't have a charger for Tesla
23:53Here you have like a whole floor in Dubai mall and Emirates mall for free
24:00Whole floor you can charge your car in 15 minutes for free
24:05In some countries, there is no charger
24:08So you have to put it inside your house only if you go outside no charger
24:12So there is a different the challenges. It's always with the government not like
24:17Not like inside your restaurant because inside your restaurant, you know the system and easy to make it
24:21Yeah do training like send the recipes and everything and start
24:26But the process of like each government is different and difficult. Of course, of course
24:32Again, it is an Emirati born, you know, you know, it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's it's
24:38and
24:40There's a lot of pride in that and we can sense it in your voice and it's always great that you know when a local
24:46brand
24:47Expands across the region. So how do you balance the local roots of the brand with the international growth and
24:57Maybe what is the message you want to convey to these international audiences again? You mentioned over and over again
25:03This is Emirati born. It's a it's a local brand
25:06It's one that has lots of pride and and passion, you know poured into it
25:12How do you balance it with the international growth and what's the message?
25:16You know in the past before like 10 years 15 years here in this country
25:22Okay
25:23When there is like any brand it's coming like from London or America. Okay
25:30There's a huge queue. We don't know what's the brand is, but we heard it's coming from London, right?
25:36Okay, there's a huge queue
25:39Okay on this brand is because we want to know what they are serving in this countries, right?
25:44Okay, and it's kind of like if I go to this restaurant which coming like from London, it's kind of elegant
25:52Okay, and they will take like some stories that I've been to this restaurant to impress like the audience. Okay
26:00But at the moment if you take a brand from Dubai
26:04To any country and just said the word it's coming from Dubai
26:10Same it's happening now. Okay in most of the countries
26:14What's the brand it's coming from Dubai. We want to go to see it and it's a it's a marketing strategy for me outside
26:21Okay, all the bloggers all the influencer. I go to tell them like hey mention in the beginning of the video this brand
26:29It's coming from Dubai and it's just opened the first branch in this country
26:34So the people they will start like to go what it's coming from Dubai because now honestly like Dubai
26:40It's like one of the biggest city in the world. Okay, so that's it's an advantage
26:45So and I'm happy like to present
26:48Okay, my country outside and I hope to present it like very very well
26:53Okay. So then again our last question we took so much of your time
26:58but this is a perfect segue into that question is
27:02What is your goal for low calories and looking ahead in the future?
27:09What do you see? I mean you're already expanding which is you know, I
27:14Mean a thousand steps ahead of so many other local businesses and other homegrown businesses
27:20So you're already moving forward but looking ahead. What's next? What's your goal?
27:25You know like from day one when I opened like my first restaurant
27:30My goal was like to make a revenue for this restaurant and not losing
27:34Today I I'm saying like I hope to succeed to do a healthy food around the world
27:41Amazing amazing and how do you see the brand evolving? You know when you when you when you
27:48in the coming years
27:50By doing that by fulfilling that mission
27:53Hopefully like it's
27:57It will be like how I said like it would be like
28:00The MRT brand. Okay that it's competing all like the unhealthy restaurant with the same taste
28:09Fantastic Nasser, this was lovely very enlightening and
28:15We hope to see your success reach all ends of the world and it's absolutely true
28:21And it's absolutely true that when influencers or when anyone mentions Dubai now on social media
28:25Dubai is on the map. Dubai is the place where dreams are happening where everyone wants to
28:33you know have a piece have have
28:37The opportunity that's true. Yes. Yeah. Thank you so much. Thank you too much
28:42We're trying our best. Okay, we're trying hard
28:45Okay, we're trying hard
28:47You are a part of like this happening. Okay, you're taking my voice
28:52Over far. Okay to be listen. Okay, so I'm so happy like to be here with you and
28:59Share my story and I hope like I was like a good guest for you
29:15You