Rashid Gargash is an Emirati entrepreneur and the founder of Rashtions, his third startup and a UAE-based nutrition brand creating premium date-based protein bites using locally rooted ingredients such as dates and camel milk.
Rashtions began as a research-led exploration of humanitarian food systems and foreign-aid nutrition: how to create practical, adaptable food products for large-scale relief deployments using resources and manufacturing capabilities available in the UAE.
Gargash initially focused on flexible food formulations that could be adapted for different nutritional needs, shelf-life requirements and emergency settings. As the concept developed, he recognised that the best way to introduce and refine the wider vision was through an everyday product that people would choose to eat.
He pivoted into the protein-snack category, creating Rashtions as a modern Emirati date-based protein bite designed for daily life. The brand combines familiar regional ingredients with contemporary nutrition, convenience and premium positioning.
Through Rashtions, Gargash aims to show that local ingredients can support more than traditional consumption: they can become the basis for modern food products, local manufacturing, stronger supply chains and exportable Emirati brands.
Alongside building Rashtions, he is interested in practical solutions for food resilience, water efficiency and agriculture, including a membraneless desalination concept for farms. He believes the future of food innovation is not about replacing agriculture, but about giving farmers and food systems better tools.
Gargash is a graduate of Georgetown University’s Executive Master’s in Leadership programme and is committed to building ventures that create commercial value while contributing to humanitarian nutrition and the UAE’s long-term food innovation ecosystem.
