Ture Salt Co, formerly Hilm — Proudly Made in the UAE

The problem

Two problems, one waste stream

Desalination supplies most of the UAE’s drinking water. Every litre leaves behind concentrated reject brine, pumped back into the sea, raising salinity and stressing marine life. The volume grows every year.

Meanwhile the UAE imports nearly all its salt. A premium, locally made finishing salt does not exist at scale, while its raw material is thrown into the sea.

The waste and the opportunity are the same molecule.

The solution

Reject brine in.
Flake salt out.

Capture

Reject brine from desalination operators becomes our feedstock: their disposal problem, our raw material.

Refine

Nanofiltration strips unwanted ions and contaminants.

Concentrate

Mechanical vapour recompression drives efficient evaporation.

Crystallise

Controlled crystallisation forms delicate, food-grade flakes.

A circular process.

The product

A chef-grade salt with a story

Core

Hand harvested flake salt for restaurants, retail and gifting.

Range

A line of infused and flavoured salts built around Gulf ingredients.

Edge

First in the world to valorize brine for flake salt.

Deep blue ocean under a clear sky — Seawater brine to pyramid flakes.

Pyramid flake salt crystals scattered across a deep green surface — Seawater brine to pyramid flakes.

Pyramid salt crystals and flake salt arranged on dark wood — Finishing crystals on dark wood

Market

A growing category with a local gap

AED900M

TAM, GCC salt

AED120M

SAM, UAE specialty

AED12M

SOM, early share

Illustrative founder estimates, to be validated.

Why now

Sustainability and provenance are now real buying criteria for hotels and premium retail.

Import substitution and local sourcing are national priorities across the UAE.

Desalination capacity keeps rising. Feedstock supply only grows.

Competition

Regional first-mover advantage

Competitor	Premium	Local	Circular	Chef
Imported flake salt (Maldon and similar)	Premium: Yes	Local: No	Circular: No	Chef brand: No
Artisan sea salt imports	Premium: Yes	Local: No	Circular: No	Chef brand: Partly
Regional commodity salt	Premium: No	Local: Partly	Circular: No	Chef brand: No
Ture Salt Co	Premium: Yes	Local: Yes	Circular: Yes	Chef brand: Yes

Competitor	Premium	Local	Circular	Chef brand
Imported flake salt (Maldon and similar)	Yes	No	No	No
Artisan sea salt imports	Yes	No	No	Partly
Regional commodity salt	No	Partly	No	No
Ture Salt Co	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

Local production, a circular feedstock story and a chef founder.

Traction

What is already in place

Working prototype: food-grade salt samples produced from real reject brine.

Regulatory pathway mapped against GSO and UAE food-safety standards; engaging ADAFSA and MoIAT.

Incorporation underway in the UAE as an FZ-LLC.

Financial model stress-tested.

Early validation from a UAE innovation programme.

Pre-revenue, moving to pilot.

The founder

Kifaya Ture

Michelin-trained chef

Kitchen leadership across New York and Dubai. Knows exactly what a finishing salt has to be to earn a place on the pass.

F&B operator

Years running F&B with direct relationships to the chefs, buyers and venues who become the first accounts.

Building the company

Driving incorporation, regulatory strategy, the pilot and the financial model in one pair of hands.

Roadmap

The next 24 months

Secure brine off-take. Finalise regulatory classification.

Q3 2026

Q4 2026

Commission the pilot line.

Food-safety certification.

Q1 2027

Q2 2027

First commercial batches. Launch with F&B accounts.

Scale distribution. Prepare the growth round.

H2 2027