Located about a 75-minute drive from the bustling capital of Amman, Jordan, the quiet gateway to Alyoum Bakery appears more like the entrance to a luxury resort with its secluded two-lane road lined with hundreds of palm trees.

In stark contrast to the nearby limestone buildings and miles of barren surroundings, the complex leads visitors past dairy farms along with green fields of fruit, grains and vegetables before reaching the 320,000-square-foot facility set among manicured lawns and, of course, more palm trees.

They say the mind plays tricks in the hot Jordan sun, but it’s not a mirage.

Rather, the $120 million bakery is the latest addition to a vision of Sama Jordan, a diversified food and industrial group of local businessmen and the family of Amin Khalil, deputy chief executive officer of Alyoum Bakery. Their long-term objective is to provide high-quality products that are locally made and cater to the growing demand in the Jordanian and neighboring markets.

Built in 2018, the largest commercial bakery in Jordan now houses seven processing lines, five of which crank out packaged sliced bread, buns, rolls, Tannour flatbread, cupcakes and puff pastries. The two newest lines will produce wafers, layered cakes and Swiss rolls by the end of this year.

In all, Mr. Khalil said, the state-of-the-art bakery turns out 25 to 30 products weekly made from premium ingredients with no artificial flavors or additives and with a “fresh from the oven” soft texture and taste.

“Alyoum’s primary objective is to establish itself as the foremost leader in the bakery industry within the Jordanian market,” he explained. “Our goal is to seize the abundant bakery opportunities, drive innovation and reshape consumer consumption habits.”

Surrounded by other Middle Eastern nations, Jordan represents the region both then and now. It’s an amalgamation of deep-rooted heritage and modern influences where bustling urban shopping centers and new car dealerships cohabitate with a treasure of UNESCO sites and historical landmarks that have survived for more than 2,000 years.

It’s a country about the size of Portugal where most food, especially bread, is celebrated and prepared fresh daily or purchased from thousands of local shops just hours before it’s consumed. 

Packaged sliced bread — also referred to as “toast bread” — has not been commonly purchased mainly because of its lack of availability.

However, the market has shifted in recent years as retailers have expanded, especially in urban settings, and Alyoum Bakery has made its presence known.

“Typically, in Jordan, traditional bread has been a product mainly found in local bakeries,” Mr. Khalil elaborated. “People have grown accustomed to purchasing freshly baked bread, made in Jordan, exclusively from these bakeries and not from supermarkets, hypermarkets or vegetable shops. We are committed to shifting this pattern and ensuring that such bread and baked goods are readily available in all types of shops and convenience stores while also freshly baked — all proudly made in 

Alyoum Bakery provides an alternative to packaged breads and other products made in neighboring countries or by multinational food companies.

“Instead of people buying baked goods that are imported and contain a lot of preservatives, we’re trying to shift the behavior of the consumer to buy freshly made products,” Mr. Khalil said.

In Arabic, Mr. Khalil pointed out, Alyoum means “today,” which reflects that Alyoum branded products are based on freshness. 

“We saw there was a gap in the market for an industrial bakery that manufactures locally,” he explained. “Croissants are pretty common, but they’re not produced in Jordan. Most of them are imported.”

Convenience provides another driver for the 600-gram (21.1-oz) loaves of packaged bread that come in White, Brown, Multigrain and Milk varieties.

“They can just pick up a bag of toast bread or a package of other Alyoum products more easily than driving to a bakery, then to a vegetable shop and then to a meat shop,” Mr. Khalil observed. “It’s just a one-stop shop for our products. That’s what we’re trying to get the Jordanian consumer to adapt to.” 

For snacking occasions, the bakery has also developed sweet goods that have a three- to 12-month shelf life.

“Families with kids are some of our biggest consumers, so we created a variety of different confectionary products like layer cakes, Swiss rolls, cupcakes and wafers,” Mr. Khalil observed. “We’re trying to cover the entire Jordanian market for packaged baked goods.”

Cupcakes, for instance, come in Vanilla, Chocolate, Red Velvet and Bran flavors along with three vanilla-filled items. Pastries range from Chocolate, Cheese, Strawberry and Custard to savory Za’atar and Za’atar & Cheese varieties. 

“We’ve done a lot of work in recipe development, quality assurance and controls, and we’ve worked with consultants from different parts of the world to develop new products and to make what we already offer better,” Mr. Khalil said. “We continually strive to introduce fresh innovations and flavors that resonate with consumers. Take, for instance, our delightful pistachio-flavored filled cupcakes. Our dedicated marketing department actively engages in conducting focus groups and surveys to pinpoint the ideal taste profiles and new products.”

Currently, he added, Alyoum has a 25% market share in the Jordanian packaged food and beverage market.

To raise brand awareness, the company samples products and has ramped up its social media campaign. It’s partnered with food influencers to promote the consistency and indulgence of its premium pastries and sweet goods and collaborated with dietitians and nutritionists who can attest to the health and wellness of Alyoum’s bread, buns and rolls through blogs and videos.

“We’re trying to make consumers aware of what they’re eating by offering healthier products, like Brown, Multigrain and Tannour healthy breads,” Mr. Khalil explained.

Sama Jordan has recently revamped its website, samajordan.jo, to make it more consumer-friendly, and Alyoum Bakery is developing a documentary since most of its consumers are unfamiliar with how the largest wholesale bakery in Jordan works. 

“Most people ask, ‘Where is your bakery located?’ They think it’s a small bakery,” Mr. Khalil pointed out. “We’re trying to show and educate our customers on how bread is made with flour and natural ingredients with fully automated production, so the sanitation and hygiene is very high.” 

In just a few years, this modern marvel of the Middle East has come a long way, but for Alyoum Bakery, the future is not tomorrow. It’s “today.”

This article is an excerpt from the October 2023 issue of Baking & Snack. To read the entire feature on Alyoum Bakery, click here.