RashTions: a case of sustainable entrepreneurship through food innovation in the United Arab Emirates

Learning outcomes Case overview/synopsis This case explores the journey of Rashid Gargash, an Emirati entrepreneur who developed RashTions, a mission-driven, functional food product designed to address food insecurity and promote sustainability in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and beyond. Drawing on Rashid’s personal experiences, the case highlights the intersection of innovation, social impact and operational control in an emerging market. RashTions enables students to assess challenges in branding, marketing and scaling a social enterprise in a resource-constrained environment, where institutional trust and family dynamics shape entrepreneurial behavior. As Rashid prepares to expand his operations and reach broader markets, students are prompted to consider whether he can scale effectively while maintaining his insourcing model and control-focused leadership style, or if a more professionalized organizational approach is necessary. The case is suitable for MBA and executive education courses in Marketing Strategy and Social Entrepreneurship in Emerging Markets. The case narrative is based on two in-depth, semi-structured interviews with the founder, complemented by company documents and analyses of policy and the market concerning UAE food security and the healthy snack sector. This approach provides a robust empirical foundation for examining management decision-making in an emerging-market context. Complexity academic level This case study can be used for undergraduate, postgraduate, and Executive Education courses such as Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, Innovation, Marketing, and Strategy. Subject code CSS 3: Entrepreneurship.