Wild & The Moon, a new health food concept, opens today (March 16) on Alserkal Avenue in Dubai. The cafe serves up food and beverages that are 100 per cent organic, cold-pressed, plant-based, wheat-free and unpasteurised.
Emma Sawko, who co-founded the chic healthy cafe Comptoir 102 in Jumeirah, has partnered with vegan chef Sati Faulks to open Wild & The Moon. Faulks was born in the US, but now calls Paris home. While working in Paris, Faulks educated himself on herbs and wild foods through foraging and permaculture farming with a mission to eventually open a raw food cafe. Faulks and Sawko met while Faulks was a guest chef at Comptoir 102 in 2014. That’s when plans for Wild & The Moon started. Faulks has also just opened two Wild & The Moon locations in Paris: a Wild Bar and a Wild Lab, both in Marais.
Sawko and Faulks are both confident that Wild & The Moon is something people in Dubai want — and need. Sawko says: “This is a relaxing oasis in an urban jungle. This is slow food set to an urban beat. We couldn’t see ourselves anywhere else as Alserkal avenue is the hub for arts and creativity in Dubai and has amazing vibes. Wild & The Moon is a peaceful hang out spot where you can feed your body with healthy juices, healthy food and good vibes.”
While the chic space is sure to draw attention, Sawko says the menu is what will keep people coming back. The food and drinks are local, plant-based, ethically sourced and seasonal, all served raw and intact. There are no processed ingredients, no additives, no chemicals, no GMOs, no gluten, no dairy and no refined sugar in anything served in the cafe.
Sawko is especially excited about the drinks. “All of our juices, nut milks and smoothies are cold-pressed and unpasteurised, which means that they are not heated or chemically treated,” explains Sawko. “We extract the juices from the fruits and vegetable by applying tremendous hydraulic pressure, which preserves 90 per cent of their nutrients and leaves the essential enzymes intact.”
Among the signature drinks are the Golden Turmeric latte with turmeric, homemade sprouted almond milk, vanilla, dates, black pepper and sea salt; the Black Gold, made with activated charcoal, vanilla, dates, almond milk and sea salt; and the Tiger made with sweet potato, orange, turmeric, cardamom and black pepper. Sawko and Faulks are also eager for diners to get a taste of their coconut macaroons and the Love Bar, which includes maca, cacao nibs and sprouted almonds.
Sawko says: “People are too busy and forget to take care of themselves. And if they do want to eat healthy, they don’t always have the time. That’s where we come in. We wanted to give them the option: you can live a busy and stressful lifestyle while eating heathy.”
While Sawko is still very committed to her work at Comptoir 102, she says she will also have an integral role at Wild & The Moon. “I’m 100 per cent involved and spreading the wild vibes. I am very involved in all of the recipes. This is my new baby.”
Wild & The Moon is now open daily on Alserkal Avenue, Street 8, Unit H77. 055 183 5405, www.wildandthemoon.com
sjohnson@thenational.ae
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Sector: EdTech
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
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CAF Champions League semi-finals first-leg fixtures
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Primeiro Agosto (ANG) v Esperance (TUN) (8pm UAE)
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October 23
The five pillars of Islam
