FOOD · LIFESTYLE · HALAPOP
HalaPop Launches in the UAE: The Middle East’s First Prebiotic Soda
Born in Dubai and bottled in the UAE, HalaPop arrives in five flavors with 15% real fruit juice, 6g of prebiotic fiber and 29 calories a can.
The Gulf has spent a decade importing its wellness habits. HalaPop is a bet that the region can bottle its own. Founded in Dubai by Karim Jalloul and Walid Antabli, the brand has launched the Middle East’s first prebiotic soda, creating a category at home rather than waiting for it to arrive on a container ship.
The Founders
A soda without the apology
Jalloul and Antabli started with a plain question: why should a soda come with regret? Their answer keeps the fizz and the flavor while quietly working for the gut.
In the Can
Indulgence, carefully engineered
Every flavor carries real fruit juice and prebiotic fiber with no added sugar, and none of the preservatives, artificial colors or sweeteners of a conventional soft drink.
The Facts
HalaPop at a glance
Made in: Dubai, UAE. Flavors: Pomegranate Hibiscus, Strawberry Vanilla, Tangerine, Ginger Lemon and Cherry Cola. Per can: 15% real fruit juice, 6g of prebiotic fiber, 29 calories, no added sugar, no preservatives, no artificial colors, flavors or sweeteners. Price: under 10 AED.
Available on Amazon UAE, Noon and Noon Minutes, Careem, Talabat, Calo, Joga and Fit Republik, plus select premium retail and wellness venues, with Spinneys, Carrefour and q-commerce platforms joining the rollout this month. Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC follow within six months.
The Response
Sold out before the shelf settled
The brand reports selling through its entire opening stock ahead of forecast, with HalaPop ranking as the bestselling soda on Amazon UAE and a raise of over $1 million behind it.
The Rollout
Under 10 AED, and spreading
A distribution deal with Emirates Snack Foods puts the cans within easy reach, and Noon has called it one of its strongest consumer launches to date, per the brand.
The Collaborations
A can that keeps good company
HalaPop’s first partnerships lean playful. A limited-run can takeover with Benefit Cosmetics brings the beauty brand’s personality to the fridge, while a tie-up with Pret a Manger sets the soda beside the daily lunch crowd. Further beauty and F&B collaborations are scheduled to follow, each carrying the gut-friendly proposition to a new audience.
The region, bottled on its own terms
For Boujeez, HalaPop’s launch reads as more than a new drink in the chiller. The Gulf’s most convincing luxury has always been self-assurance, and a Dubai-built brand creating a category rather than importing one is exactly that. The next generation of regional taste will not be shipped in. It is being poured here.
Explore the full range at drinkhalapop.com.