Dubai fine dining boom drives record demand for local UAE oyster producer Dibba Bay

The Fujairah-based producer, which currently commands approximately 55 per cent of the UAE oyster market, has benefited significantly from the recent surge in high-end restaurant openings across the region.

This comes as Dubai has seen a remarkable rise in new fine dining establishments over the past two years, with international luxury restaurant chains entering the market and homegrown brands expanding abroad. The city has rapidly evolved into a global culinary destination, attracting prestigious restaurant brands from around the world while nurturing local concepts that are now finding success in overseas markets.

Andrea Sartoris, who assumed the role of General Manager at Dibba Bay in January, has observed this transformation firsthand.

During the first five months of 2024 alone, over 1,500 new food establishments opened in Dubai. By mid-2024, the total number of food establishments in the emirate stood at 26,000, according to Gulf News, with globally reputable chains entering the UAE market in record numbers.

Founded in 2016, Dibba Bay has grown to employ nearly 95 staff and operates multiple offshore concessions in Fujairah waters. The company reports that 75-80 per cent of its local sales come from the hospitality sector, with the remainder through retail channels including Spinneys, Waitrose, and Carrefour, as well as direct-to-consumer options through food delivery aggregators like Talabat and Careem.

Wealth migration

Dubai’s explosive growth in premium dining establishments has created fertile ground for luxury food products. This surge corresponds directly with the UAE’s strategic positioning as a safe haven for global wealth, attracting ultra-high-net-worth individuals from Europe, Russia, and Asia.

Since 2022, the UAE has seen one of the world’s highest net inflows of millionaires and billionaires, with Dubai alone welcoming thousands of new wealthy residents, bringing sophisticated palates and expectations for world-class dining experiences.

“A lot of restaurants, mainly fine dining restaurants, are trying to stress more premium seafood products,” Sartoris explained.

“Oysters definitely are the core of this category where they can upsell. The oyster is considered a lifestyle product, so several restaurants are trying to add this type of product to their menu to increase the average bill — even those whose core is not seafood.”

This trend has proven particularly beneficial for Dibba Bay, which has seen demand surge in parallel with Dubai’s restaurant boom. “We’ve definitely seen an increase in demand from establishments in Dubai,” Sartoris confirmed.

Freshness advantage

Dibba Bay’s unique selling proposition centres on freshness, with the company delivering oysters to customers within 24 hours of harvesting—a stark contrast to imported alternatives.

“If we look at international products like French oysters, it usually takes time. There is air freight, there is a massive cold chain. Usually international oysters are already three to five days old when they arrive here, and the shelf life of the oyster is only 10 days,” Sartoris explained.

This freshness advantage has proven crucial for high-end restaurants where quality and consistency are paramount. With deliveries three times weekly throughout the UAE, Dibba Bay ensures that even the most demanding chefs receive product at its peak condition.

The company has also observed an interesting correlation between oyster and caviar demand. “Usually when there is caviar, there is also oyster,” noted Sartoris. “There are no restaurants that serve oysters but don’t have caviar in their menu.”

This connection has further cemented Dibba Bay’s position within Dubai’s luxury dining ecosystem, as chefs increasingly pair the two premium items on their menus. For the emirate’s growing population of ultra-high-net-worth individuals — many of whom hail from Russia and other regions where caviar is particularly revered — these pairings represent the pinnacle of gastronomic indulgence.

From pearls to premium oysters

Dibba Bay’s success represents a modern evolution of the UAE’s maritime heritage. Long before oil transformed the UAE into a global powerhouse, pearl diving formed the backbone of the coastal economy, with divers plunging into the warm Gulf waters in search of natural pearls for royalty and aristocrats worldwide.

When the cultured pearl industry and the Great Depression delivered a crushing blow to this trade in the early 20th century, many feared the Emirates’ maritime expertise would be lost to history. Dibba Bay has now repurposed this aquatic knowledge for luxury seafood production.

“When Dibba Bay Oyster brand was launched, offshore aquaculture in the UAE was largely uncharted territory,” Sartoris noted. “A lot of people were not aware oysters could thrive in these waters.”

Sustainability focus

The local production model offers significant sustainability benefits. “Our farming methods are 100 per cent natural,” said Sartoris. “We don’t use feeding, no chemicals, and we don’t use fresh water. Our oysters are always in seawater.”

Each oyster filters up to 170 litres of seawater daily, meaning that with millions of oysters in the water, they collectively filter millions of litres per day, improving ocean health and supporting marine conservation.

The company has implemented a reef restoration project that repurposes discarded oyster shells.

“We are recollecting the shells from venues, bringing them back to the farm, curating them to ensure there are no bacteria, then putting them in cages deployed in particular areas near Dibba where we are restoring the reef,” Sartoris detailed.

Faster growth, international expansion

A key advantage for the UAE producer is the significantly faster growth cycle of their oysters — nine to eleven months compared to three years for European varieties — thanks to the warm Gulf waters.

“When the meat is younger, it’s definitely better. That’s why our taste is unique, and the abductor muscle, which is what people cut to open the oyster, is more crunchy,” Sartoris stated.

Despite this quality advantage, challenges remain in consumer perception. “A lot of consumers still think that local farms are considered less expert than international farms,” Sartoris said. “We want to change this mindset.”

Beyond the domestic market, Dibba Bay has begun expanding internationally, with 20-25 per cent of its production now exported to markets including Russia, Hong Kong, and Macau. The company plans to focus on further expansion into China and Singapore in the third and fourth quarters of 2025.

“The goal is basically to create a solid market share, to increase market share within the UAE market first of all,” said Sartoris of the company’s expansion plans, adding that parallel efforts to grow in export markets will follow.