How 'Tabchilli' is bringing fermented foods into Dubai’s everyday diet

Dubai: Hidden inside a warehouse area in Al Quoz, Tabchilli doesn’t really announce itself from the outside. You could easily walk past it.

Inside though, the space opens up into rows of colourful jars, fermentation rooms, and shelves that quietly map out a very specific passion of fermented food.

Gulf News spoke to founder Maher El-Tabchy about how it all started and why he built the business. “I had a lot of ideas, but I wanted to focus on fermented food and gut health, so I just went all in on that,” he shared.

For him, Dubai set the bar early. “Dubai for me means standards,” he says. “If you are mediocre in Dubai you won’t survive. High standards, high pace, high ambition.”

He sees the city not just as a base, but as a kind of pressure system that shapes how businesses operate. “It’s a place where ambition, speed and community all exist together,” he says. “And you need all of that to build something long-term.”

El-Tabchy moved to Dubai from Miami, and says the shift made sense personally and professionally. “When you have your family here it becomes home,” he says. “But there was a gap in the market. There wasn’t much fermented food, and with rising chronic disease and diabetes, it felt like something worth working on.”

He adds that the environment itself made it easier to take the risk.

“Dubai rewards ambition. It’s an ecosystem where entrepreneurs are supported, so it felt like the right place to try.”

When asked what it means to build something “Dubai-born”, he kept it simple. “It’s about ambition,” he says. “You have to export standards and consistency. When you look at how Dubai has grown, that’s what you see: execution, ambition, consistency.”

Running a small food business through uncertain weeks has also been a learning curve.

“The last few weeks have been stressful for everyone,” he says. “But I think it is a stress test model. First of all because we are a local brand, born by the community for the community. It was really nice to see customers rally around us and support us. And in a challenging environment, you step back and ask how to simplify, execute faster, and strengthen relationships. That’s how we can thrive.”

The current space, he adds, is also about making the process visible.

“People can actually see how fermentation works. It’s not hidden anymore.” He also talks about why the new space in Al Quoz isn’t just for production, but for learning too.

“We wanted to create a place where people can actually understand fermentation, not just hear about it,” he says.

“So we built a room where you’re surrounded by different fermentations fruits, vegetables, soy-based ferments things you’ll find across different cultures. It’s all happening in one space, when we do classes or walkthroughs."

At its core, he says, Tabchilli is about giving back to the community.

“Our message is always think local before you think global,” he says. “If you serve Dubai first, your business will survive because the community will serve you back. And this is a resilient community, most of us have been through setbacks, and we know that coming together is the only way to grow.”

Away from food, one memory stands out. “My proudest moment was swimming 30km around World Islands during Ramadan,” he says. “We had Maritime Police escorting us for hours, stopping boats. It showed how much support exists here in the UAE.”

In the end, he circles back to the same idea: building something that lasts beyond trends or products.

“It’s about reducing chronic disease and improving health over time,” he says. “And if you’re building something, you also have to give back.”