Dubai’s What The Food festival returned to Alserkal Avenue over the weekend, bringing together homegrown food brands, activities and plenty of things for visitors to try.
Among the brands taking part was HalaPop, which describes itself as the UAE’s first locally made prebiotic soda.
The festival, held on October 31 and November 1, returned for its fifth edition under the theme Khubz wa Milh, meaning bread and salt, celebrating the tradition of bringing people together through food.
Founded by Walid Antabli and Karim Jalloul, HalaPop was created as an alternative to traditional soft drinks, offering fruity flavours without added sugar.
Visitors had the chance to try five flavours: pomegranate hibiscus, strawberry vanilla, cherry cola, ginger lemon and tangerine, with free drinks available at the brand’s stand.
But the experience wasn’t just about trying soda.
HalaPop also introduced an interactive game called Make It Pop, where visitors were challenged to stop a timer at exactly 10 seconds.
Those who managed to complete the challenge had the chance to win personalised tote bags, pouches and other prizes, with a leaderboard keeping track of the results throughout the weekend.
Each can of HalaPop contains 15 per cent real fruit juice, six grams of prebiotic fibre and 29 calories, according to the brand. The drinks are also made without preservatives or artificial colours, flavours and sweeteners.
The two founders were also scheduled to meet visitors at the stand and share more about their journey of creating a soda brand in the UAE.
Beyond HalaPop, the festival featured food tastings, workshops and discussions exploring the connection between food and culture.
Held at Alserkal Avenue in Al Quoz, the two-day event also brought attention to local businesses, giving visitors an opportunity to discover new products and meet the people behind them.
Source: Khaleej Times