WHY DID YOU CHOOSE MOROCCO AS THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL MARKET OUTSIDE THE GCC?
We didn’t choose Morocco, Morocco chose us! The partners had their experience of Maya in Saudi Arabia, and then visited us in Bahrain. They saw the quality of the products, the dishes, the chocolate, and the brand itself. They immediately fell in love with it and wanted to create something unique and different in Morocco. For us, it was amazing because this is the first Bahraini franchise to go into Africa, specifically into Morocco.
WHAT MADE YOU CHOOSE JAWAD EL YAMIQ AND HIS BROTHER AS PARTNERS FOR MAYA?
It was an interesting venture for us, working with the Morocco team, with Jawad El Yamiq and his brother. He is an international football player and a well-known celebrity. This adds value to the brand. We do an evaluation on every franchisee to see their financial capability, their understanding of the brand, how they can manage it, and other factors. Once they tick all the boxes, they get qualified as a franchisee, including their commitments to open the agreed number of shops within the ten-year contract. That encouraged us even more to give them the brand.
WHAT STEPS ARE YOU TAKING TO ENSURE THE SAME QUALITY IN MOROCCO AS IN BAHRAIN?
One of the things we do is experiment, test, and check what works and what doesn’t. Then we put in the proper systems, manuals, and standards. Maya in Morocco, or anywhere else, should always be the same. We train the chefs, baristas, and servers. We have a team that goes and trains them on the manuals, processes, and plating. We also spent more than a month perfecting the recipes based on local products, because the flour in Bahrain is not the same as the flour in Morocco, and other products also have different textures and compositions. It’s not just cut and paste. You have to modify to ensure that the end result is 100% the same everywhere. We also have rules for quality, service, and design. My partner, who is my brother, is an architect, and he designs every shop to create the same signature feel, adapted to the location and size of the space.
WILL THERE BE ITEMS ON THE MENU THAT ARE ADAPTED TO MOROCCAN TASTES?
Yes! We took a local dessert called Johara and deconstructed it with chocolate and orange blossom flavors to create a unique experience. Today it is a top seller in Morocco. We also infused chocolate into savory dishes. Chocolate at high percentages is not sweet, so it works beautifully with breakfast dishes and sandwiches. For example, one of the top items is brie cheese and apricot jam made fresh in-house, served on chocolate ciabatta bread. The combination is beautiful.
WHAT IS THE UNIFYING PHILOSOPHY GUIDING YOUR APPROACH TO BUSINESSES AND BRANDS?
Maya is definitely a franchise model, and a franchise model always needs to be respected. As the franchiser, we make sure we have the right systems and manuals to protect the brand. We also monitor the franchisees to ensure they follow the standards. Some products are made locally, but certain signature products and ingredients are made in Bahrain and shipped to the franchisees to maintain the secret of the brand.
OUTSIDE OF BUSINESS VENTURES, YOU ALSO HELD MANY ROLES IN KEY ORGANIZATIONS RELATING TO BAHRAIN’S ECONOMY AND COMMUNITY. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE MAJOR CHALLENGES YOU FACED IN THOSE ROLES AND HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM?
Being an entrepreneur is not easy. It has challenges everywhere. For me, it was important to support the business community and startups so they could understand how to make use of Bahrain’s infrastructure. You also need to understand the bylaws and regulations, labor laws, commercial laws, all of it. Many startups don’t take this into account, but you must if you want consistency. This is why I also went into the International Labor Organization (ILO). It is a tripartite organization, and I brought to the table my experience as an employer and the challenges we face. Today, I am Vice President for Asia and the Pacific countries under the International Organisation of Employers (IOE), which is one of the ILO tripartites. My role is to work with chambers and employers to ensure their voice is heard and to create win-win situations between employers and employees. As Bahrainis, we have the confidence to go global because of the leadership of our country. His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa; His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister; and Her Royal Highness Princess Sabeeka bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Consort of His Majesty the King and President of the Supreme Council for Women (SCW), give us the confidence, both men and women, to always aim for bigger achievements. This is why so many Bahrainis hold high international positions today, and I am proud to be one of them.
ARE THERE ANY NEW VENTURES OR PROJECTS WE SHOULD EXPECT TO HEAR ABOUT IN THE NEAR FUTURE?
Yes. We are negotiating with two new countries for Maya. Maya started in 2006 in Bahrain and we had franchises across the GCC, but we faced challenges. One of the biggest was that franchise concepts are not legally protected well in the GCC, and when problems happened, the long time it took for legal decisions had damaged the brand. Then the pandemic also affected us. We decided to step back, reevaluate, and rebrand. We completely changed the menu and modernized the concept. Morocco was the first new location after that, and now we are negotiating two new countries, with more territories opening in 2026.
WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO THOSE TAKING THE FIRST STEP OF THEIR ENTREPRENEURIAL JOURNEY?
Think outside the box. Be different, be creative, be innovative. Don’t just copy others. The market has its limits, and Bahrain is small, but if you think globally when creating your brand, product, or service, you will have a niche. Bahrain has an amazing infrastructure for testing, but don’t focus only on Bahrain. With AI, technology, and logistics, the world is at your doorstep. Build a proper entity that one day could be listed on the stock market or attract venture capital. Always think big.
