Maitham Saad, 39, founder of Berhyah, one of Iraq’s best-selling premium organic gourmet date brands. All photos: Berhyah
A computer engineer by trade, Mr Saad, started his date business in 2018, in a small workshop in his home town of Abu Al Khaseeb, near southern city Basra.
Growing up in the early 1980s, Mr Saad recalls date palms crowding the banks of the Shatt Al Arab River. Berhyah is named after one of the most famous types of dates in Iraq — Berhi.
Berhyah offers 24 varieties of pastries and gourmet dates stuffed or topped with nuts and with different flavours.
Mr Saad wants his dates to best a special Iraqi gift, linked to the country’s civilisation and heritage.
The organic dates comer packaged in a selection of elegant gift boxes with elaborate designs.
Mr Saad says some packaging is inspired by engravings in ancient Babylonian and Assyrian sites.
Other inspiration comes from heritage-related scenes and local artists' work.
Date cookies from Berhyah.
A gourmet offering from Berhyah.
Customers can choose from nine varieties of sweets with five flavours.
These are pistachio and cardamom, walnut and cinnamon, sesame and tahini, coconut oil and peanut butter.
'Our work offers different meanings through different symbols from Iraq’s history,' says Mr Saad.
'This makes anyone proud when buying and gifting such a product," he adds.
Berhyah products are sold in luxury boutiques in Basra, in northern city Erbil, capital of Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region, and several other places.
The interior of the newly opened Berhyah Cafe in Erbil.
Coffee provides the perfect accompaniment to the cafe's dates.
Berhyah Cafe in Erbil. Berhyah has customers as far away as the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
