Wholesale Cooking Oil Suppliers in Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia's cooking oil market: import structure, major brands, and food manufacturing demand

Saudi Arabia imports essentially all of its cooking oil requirements — domestic agricultural production is negligible at commercial scale. Annual cooking oil imports exceed 800,000 tonnes, driven by household consumption, the food manufacturing sector, the large hospitality and foodservice industry (Makkah and Madinah host millions of hajj and umrah pilgrims annually, creating enormous foodservice demand), and downstream oleochemical use. Palm olein is the dominant imported grade, accounting for roughly 60–65% of cooking oil consumption, sourced primarily from Malaysia and Indonesia. Afia International Corporation is Saudi Arabia's largest cooking oil brand — Afia is a subsidiary of IOI Group (Malaysian palm oil major) and distributes palm olein, sunflower oil, and blended cooking oils across Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC under the Afia brand. Savola Group (Saudi-listed agrifood conglomerate, headquartered in Jeddah) owns the Afia brand in the MENA region through its edible oils division, and also produces sunflower oil under the Hayat brand. Al Arabi, Shams, and private-label cooking oils from major Saudi supermarket chains (Panda, Carrefour KSA, Lulu Hypermarket) represent significant trade volumes. The Saudi food manufacturing sector — bakeries, confectionery producers, snack manufacturers, ready meal companies — sources large volumes of refined palm oil, sunflower oil, and specialty fats (hydrogenated, interesterified) for industrial frying, bakery shortenings, and margarine production. Saudi Arabia's geographic position makes it the natural hub for GCC cooking oil distribution. Jeddah Islamic Port (Red Sea coast) is the primary bulk liquid and container import port for western Saudi Arabia; King Abdulaziz Port (Dammam, Arabian Gulf) serves the Eastern Province and is the entry point for shipments from the Gulf region. Both ports have liquid bulk terminals and tank storage for edible oils. Major commodity trading companies active in the Saudi market include LDC (Louis Dreyfus Saudi Arabia), Viterra, regional trading firms in Jeddah and Dammam, and subsidiary operations of Malaysian and Indonesian palm oil majors.