Articles by Adnan
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We stand with our brothers and sisters in the Black Lives Matter movement.
We stand with our brothers and sisters in the Black Lives Matter movement.
We stand with our brothers and sisters in the Black Lives Matter movement. Needless to say, the horrifically disturbing…
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Saffron Road's Charitable Efforts During Ramadan
Saffron Road's Charitable Efforts During Ramadan
As Ramadan is now here, we will be further stepping up our charitable efforts to assist the most needful. The US food…
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NOSHLIVE! The Way forward For Food Entrepreneurs
NOSHLIVE! The Way forward For Food Entrepreneurs
I am excited to be a speaker the #noshlive On Nov 30th at the Santa Monica Beach Hotel. I hope to see you there?!…
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Adnan Durrani shared thisAnother major endorsement of Saffron Road's unmatched Culinary Excellence and our Clean Label and BFY meals -this time by The Takeout's Anais Aguilera Congrats to our Chefs and Culinary Team Saffron Road Foods for taking the high road and always perfecting the WOW experience on our Journey to Better for Modern Consumers !Adnan Durrani shared thisAnother nice nod for those who dare to be better-for-you in the freezer aisle: our Butter Chicken was named one of 12 frozen dinners that use high quality ingredients by The Takeout's Anais Aguilera. The list highlights our commitment to real ingredients - no seed oils, no artificial ingredients, and antibiotic-free chicken - all while still delivering the bold, authentic flavor people expect from a beloved recipe. It's a nice reminder that feel-good food doesn't have to mean compromise. As Aguilera put it, this dish "manages to feel authentic, flavorful, and convenient all at once." Why choose one when you can have it all? Read the full piece: https://lnkd.in/eDAfRS5s #SaffronRoad #JourneyToBetter #BCorp #CPG #BetterForYou
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Adnan Durrani shared thisAwesome to see Saffron Road Foods Culinary Excellence achieving this accolade with the Taste of Home Award for our Butter Chicken Cavatappi, a shining star among our Crossroads mashup line, which is crushing it. So proud of our Team and how they , in warp speed, ideated and debuted this stellar innovation earlier this year for our Modern Consumers. If you haven't yet tried this comforting and delicious Crossroads line and especially our Butter Chicken Cavatappi, you are seriously missing out! But don't take my word for it, see the full review below from an objective food aficionado, who opines that "This Is the Only Microwave Dinner I’ll Stock Up On". #SaffronRoad #JourneyToBetter #BCorp #Crossroads #TasteOfHome#BFY#Modern ConsumerAdnan Durrani shared thisBig news from the freezer aisle: our Crossroads Butter Chicken Cavatappi just earned a Taste of Home Award. 🎉 Taste of Home editor Lauren Pahmeier called it the mash-up she didn't know she needed, praising the "crazy cheese pull" and the bold, unmistakable butter chicken flavor underneath. Two cultures, one plate, zero rules: exactly what Crossroads was built to deliver. This one's a reminder of why we do what we do: taking the dishes and flavors people already love and finding new, craveable ways to bring them to the table (or the microwave). Read the full review: https://lnkd.in/eDhmdiqA #SaffronRoad #JourneyToBetter #BCorp #Crossroads #TasteOfHome
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Adnan Durrani shared thishttps://lnkd.in/p/dcWbSWqi Truly enjoyed this podcast with my partner Paul Turbeville and the Maestro Nerd of all Grocery Nerds : Errol Schweizer I encourage all who want to nerd out with us on all things grocery to chime in and get an inside look into our origin story, our Whole Foods debut 16years ago, and how we pioneered the BFY frozen entrée category for Modern Consumers , and continue to break thru and lead the Culinary Revolution on a Journey to Better Global Cuisines. Errol Schweizer, thanks so much for hosting us! For sure, this one's worth a listen: https://lnkd.in/e5S84j-e #SaffronRoad #JourneyToBetter #BCorp #GroceryIndustry #GroceryNerds #FoodInnovation #CPG #GlobalCuisines #BFY #ModernConsumers #Halal#8: How Saffron Road Disrupted Frozen Food with Authenticity and Innovation#8: How Saffron Road Disrupted Frozen Food with Authenticity and Innovation
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Adnan Durrani shared thisHave you noticed your favorite foods just... don't taste the same anymore? Or the amount of chips in that snack bag seem a lot lighter, maybe they have a new flavor called air? Are your string cheeses just cheese blobs now? Or maybe your go to comfort meal doesn’t have the same “Wow” experience. No--you're not going crazy! Bloomberg just ran a piece on it — brands quietly swapping real ingredients for cheaper ones, shrinking portions, and hoping nobody notices. It's called skimpflation and shrinkflation, and it's happening in your candy, your OJ, your peanut butter, and even in some frozen products. One Reese's superfan got so fed up with his family's namesake candy going downhill, he went viral — and Hershey had to walk it back. Here's where Saffron Road Foods plants our flag: We're doing the exact opposite. Forget shrinkflation — we at Saffron Road are all about growflation. While others shave ounces and swap in cheaper fillers, we: ✅ Boosted protein by 50–100% across our entrées ✅ Kept every bowl at a full 10 oz — no stealth downsizing (plenty of "competitors" are quietly at 9 oz) ✅ Removed seed oils entirely And, we still use: premium quality ingredients, sustainably farmed meats, clean & exotic spices, as well as the highest breed of Basmati Golden Sella rice. Yes, it costs us more. But we won’t back down in offering Saffron Road consumers experiences elevated in unmatched culinary excellence. Since day one, my mantra at Saffron Road has been to offer Values for a Value — not the cheapest calorie on the shelf, the most honest one that delivers the “WOW” factor. The most authentic restaurant quality meal for 70% less cost than eating at a high-end ethnic restaurant. It’s an affordable reprieve of world class Global Flavors conveniently fired up in 5 minutes from your kitchen’s freezer. No shrinking. No skimping. Just food on a mission of Ethical Consumerism that keeps its promise. Join us on our Journey to Better. Better for the planet, Better for farmers, Better for the livestock, Better for your health, and Better for humanity. We play the long game, no short cuts here on the Saffron Road as we lead with the path less followed. https://shorturl.at/eTnhP #JourneyToBetter #BCorp #GlobalFlavors #ValuesforValue #CulinaryExcellence #WOWFactor #EthicalConsumerism #GrowflationHow Brands Sneak In Cheaper Ingredients to Protect Their Profit MarginsHow Brands Sneak In Cheaper Ingredients to Protect Their Profit Margins
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Adnan Durrani shared thishttps://lnkd.in/ecq6dJ2W The facts and science is indisputable. Something that many cultures from the East , like the Ayurvedic sciences , have known for centuries-- spicey foods have tremendous health benefits. This is what we mean when we explore Food as Medicine and promote an active Lifespan to Healthspan. Enjoy this post by our team at Saffron Road, citing the Washington Post article on this very relevant topic for todays health & wellness cohortsAdnan Durrani shared thisFeel the burn, live a little longer(ish)—it's science. 🌶️ As a team of spice lovers and chile-heads, the The Washington Post's recent article highlighting research linking regular spicy food consumption to lower mortality risk piqued our interest. The piece details a study of 500,000+ adults found to have a 14% lower risk of death from heart disease, cancer, and lung disease among those who ate spicy food most days of the week. The culprit (the good kind)? Capsaicin, the compound behind the heat, which is also linked to better cholesterol levels and gut benefits with regular consumption. It's no secret that Saffron Road was built on bold spice; not as a gimmick, but because that's how the cuisines we draw our inspiration from have always been crafted. From our Moroccan Spiced Chicken & Potatoes to our Chili Crisp Noodles, our food's heat is intentional, layered, and rooted in tradition. And it turns out there may be even more benefits beyond flavor. 🔥 Read the article: https://lnkd.in/eXguZkvx #SaffronRoad #JourneyToBetter #BCorp #CPG #BetterForYou
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Adnan Durrani shared thisThis is awesome ! Some confuse us to be an Indian only brand, and while we lead that category as well, Saffron Road's superpower continues to be Global Flavors: Thai, Asian, Mexican, and soon to be Mediterranean. Our Cross Roads line also validates how well we do with global fusion cuisines. Join us on our Journey to Better as we power the Culinary Revolution for BFY frozen meals for the Modern Consumer.Adnan Durrani shared thisHonored to be named one of the 5 Best Frozen Pad Thai meals by Eat This, Not That! 🏆 Chef Dennis Littley and writer Heather Newgen highlight our Chicken Pad Thai for its tender chicken, rice noodles, and a sauce that strikes the right balance between savory and slightly sweet—calling out the generous protein and bold seasoning as what helps it stand out from the competition. Coming in at #2 alongside some well-known names in the frozen aisle, this one means a lot to us. We've always believed that globally inspired, better-for-you frozen meals don't have to compromise on flavor—and it's mission-affirming to see that reflected here. Read the full roundup: https://lnkd.in/edvHpsjG
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Adnan Durrani shared thisI am so grateful to Specialty Food Association and humbled by the Hall Of Fame ceremony at the Fancy Food Show in NYC last week. I was in the company of so many inspirational leaders and game changers from our natural & specialty food industry , all of whom were more deserving than me of this induction. Thirty-Five years ago, my friend and mentor Gary Hirshberg schooled me on how BFY foods can be impactful as a change agent for the betterment of humanity. The rest is history. The SFA community welcomed me with open arms—as a recovering wall streeter, an immigrant, and a Muslim person of color. It was so heartwarming to see this come full circle this week. Our Team Saffron Road Foods inspires me on daily basis--this has been a seminal week for us , since in addition to our nation’s Independence Birthday on July 4th, it is also Saffron Road’s 16th year birthday! Our Journey to Better on the Saffron Road owes much especially to Bob Burke and Errol Schweizer, who believed in us from the get-go and have been stellar partners thru challenging times and remarkable successes. The awesome highlight of the evening was a celebratory dinner with our families at FFS to share memories of times long past, and to usher in a very bright future for specialty food innovation. The only constant is change. Bob Burke, Paul Turbeville Kevin Callaghan John Umlauf Kathryn Pearson Laura Stockdale Gary Hirshberg Haris Durrani Errol Schweizer Specialty Food Association Holly Long Delia Murphy, PMP Eric Skae Lee Zalben Julie Smolyansky Jill Giacomini Basch Sandra Mullings-Archer @JamesBonamino Caitlin Burke Megan Rooney
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Adnan Durrani shared thisEid Mubarak to all celebrating Eid al-Adha. Now maybe some of you are confused –didn’t Muslims just celebrate the Eid holiday in March? Yes, of course, that was Eid al- Fitr, which marked the feast celebration at the end of Ramadan’s month long fast. But this is actually the Bigger Eid: Eid al-Adha, the most important celebration in Islam and involves the seminal pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina in KSA. Also Hajj Mubarak and Congrats to those Hajji’s and Hajjah’s who as of yesterday completed the Day of Arafah in Saudi Arabia. While today will also be a day of feast (for us Muslims it’s always about the food!), it’s also been a week of solemn prayers –for peace and reflection. In our family and community, we pray for all of us, young and old, all faiths (including the Children of Abraham, the patriarch, whose sacrifice is commemorated this Eid), all nationalities, and for the world at large. May your higher power, even if you are an atheist, reward you with a spiritually enlightened week, inwardly and outwardly, as we celebrate Eid. To read more about Eid, you can enjoy this article: https://shorturl.at/oSxeY #hajj2026 #eidaladha2026 #pilgrimage #sacrifice #prayerEid al-Adha explained. See date and why Muslims have two Eid holidaysEid al-Adha explained. See date and why Muslims have two Eid holidays
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Adnan Durrani shared thisMy colleagues at American Frozen Food Institute bravely stormed the Hill in DC (in 102F deg heat!) this week during our Government Action Summit to lobby and advocate for frozen foods. I want to thank Congresswoman Jahana Hayes , the U.S. Representative for Connecticut's 5th Congressional District, for her leadership and for fighting the good fight tor the most disenfranchised communities the last few years by supporting the SHOP ACT and the bipartisan legislation designed to modernize and expand the Gus Schumacher Nutrition Incentive Program (GusNIP), which made it into the Farm Bill. It’s shocking to me that as the wealthiest nation on earth, over $184 Billion in SNAP benefits were cut, with over 2.4Million Americans a month losing their SNAP benefits and over 60 million now living in poverty or under food insecurity in USA. We hope the Farm Bill can now move to the Senate floor this year and address some of these concerns, as well as provide some relief to farmers from the knock-on effects the Iran war is causing in terms of escalating fertilizer and diesel fuel costs. I also want to thank Senator Chris Murphy and Congressman Jim Himes - Bridgeport Office for spending time with us and hearing our concerns. Indeed, from field to freezer to fork, frozen foods deliver real nutrition, real convenience, and real value every day. This week, our AFFI leadership brought their A-Game to the Hill and delivered that message directly to national policymakers. #FrozenFoods #FoodPolicy #SNAP #FarmBill #GusNIPAdnan Durrani shared thisFrozen foods are part of everyday life for millions of Americans, and this week, that story comes to Washington. AFFI members are gathering in D.C. for the 2026 Government Action Summit to highlight how frozen foods support family budgets, healthy eating, domestic manufacturing, food security, and jobs across the country. From field to freezer to fork, frozen foods deliver real nutrition, real convenience, and real value every day. This week, AFFI members are bringing that message directly to policymakers. #FrozenFoods #FoodPolicy
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Adnan Durrani liked thisAdnan Durrani liked thisThe protein craze is opening the door to new sources of the nutrient, even protein made from an organism originally found in Finnish bogs. With whey protein still constrained, new kinds of protein (except maybe...cricket protein) are taking off. A fun one with Ilena Peng! [gift link below] https://lnkd.in/e6pz4AQpWhey Shortage: Protein Powder Demand Boosts Startups Using Soy and BeansWhey Shortage: Protein Powder Demand Boosts Startups Using Soy and Beans
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Adnan Durrani liked thisAdnan Durrani liked thisCongrats to Ateeq of Graphify Labs (YC S26) for guessing correctly our new swag: bomber jackets for our new ethical payments platform, PayGood.com
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Adnan Durrani liked thisAdnan Durrani liked thisThe Islamic Finance Conference at Harvard 2026 brought together scholars, financial professionals, entrepreneurs, and emerging leaders to explore the future of Islamic, ethical, and responsible finance. Special thanks to Dr. Syed Nazim Ali, Founder and Convener; Adam Latif, Conference Co-Chair; and the organizing team, including Mohiuddin Adnan, ACCA, Saim Raza, and Shakira Ali, for creating such a meaningful platform for learning, dialogue, and connection. I was especially grateful to meet Eaman S., whose insights connecting accounting, taxation, financial advisory, and Islamic finance strongly resonated with my professional journey. I also appreciated meeting Dr. Fatima Jebari, and learning from her perspectives on finance, capital markets, investor education, and responsible financial systems. It was an honor to meet and learn from distinguished speakers, including Dr. Erum Sattar, Omair Ansari, Dr. Ahmet Faruk Aysan, Adnan Durrani, Dr. M. Kabir Hassan, Assoc. Prof. Sutan Emir Hidayat, Ph.D., Fatima Iqbal, Dr. Ozgur B. Kan, Asim Khan, Dr. Aamir A. Rehman, Imran Sayeed, and Dr. Dr. Irfan Lakhani. The conference was also enriched by the inspiring people I met, including Sadaf H. F., Dannah J. , Sikandar K., Gulmina A., Sajjad Chowdhry, Sadiq Dahir, CPA , Nzinga Knight, Lucia F. and Emaan F. . I am grateful for the thoughtful conversations and hope to remain connected and explore future collaborations. My key takeaway is that Islamic finance is much broader than the avoidance of interest. It is a comprehensive framework grounded in ethical investment, transparency, shared responsibility, real economic activity, social impact, and human dignity. IFC 2026 strengthened my interest in exploring how Islamic finance can connect with entrepreneurship, taxation, sustainable development, ESG measurement, financial technology, and inclusive access to capital. #IFC2026 #IslamicFinance #EthicalFinance #SustainableFinance #ResponsibleInvestment #FinancialInclusion #TaxAdvisory #Entrepreneurship
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Adnan Durrani liked thisAdnan Durrani liked thisHere today representing OneAgrix at the Future Food Forum. Great to meet old friends, connect with industry and government leaders, and hear from the dynamic UAE and GCC leaders building resilient food businesses. Proud to be part of the conversation on the future of food. #FutureFoodForum #OneAgrix #FoodSecurity #UAE #GCC
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Adnan Durrani liked thisAdnan Durrani liked thisA story about an old chair. I have had this chair for 40+ years. Like an old, comfortable, well-worn t-shirt, I love it. Yes, the armrest is torn. Yes, it looks ugly. And yes, my mom has been telling me to replace it for some time. But I could not bring myself to get rid of it. I love sitting in this chair by the fireplace and reading books. Then one day, it occurred to me: What if I simply removed the torn armrest? Not replace the chair. Not buy something new. Just remove the part that was no longer serving it. So I did. Same old chair. One small change. A "new" chair emerged. It reminded me of something I have often seen and experienced in life and leadership. Growth is not always about adding something new. Sometimes it's about taking some thing away, stopping something that is no longer serving us. For example: * Stop trying to be the smartest person in the room. * Stop staying quiet when need is to speak up. * Stop leaning back when the moment calls for leaning in. * Stop holding tightly to one way of thinking when a new perspective is needed. * Stop interrupting when others are speaking. * Stop pushing when the situation calls for pulling back. Small shifts often create very different outcomes. And in leadership, those small shifts matter. They change the quality of conversations. They increase trust. They improve collaboration and decisions. They strengthen relationships. They create better results. So perhaps the question is not always: “What do I need to add?” Sometimes the better question is: “What do I need to stop doing, remove, or let go of?” With this in mind, what is the one small shift you could make today that could would create a better future — for you and for those around you?
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Adnan Durrani liked thisAdnan Durrani liked thisAs we come to the end of another year, product launching year. I have a few more post to go 😉 I have spent a lot of time on the "pantry" categories this year. It is the best way to drive brand with our guest. Fill their pantries with product that wow's and delights our guest, their friends, and their family. So, it is not always about the best cost, or cutting a corner to hit a retail. It is about first finding local or regional products. It is about finding the WOW. So, T&C is in the Macaroni and Cheese business and the guest has voted. Business is good 😁 Locally sourced and packed, this passes the Yummy Wow Test
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Adnan Durrani liked thisAdnan Durrani liked thisWhy does capital hesitate? That question, from Rushdi Siddiqui, framed my favorite panel at Harvard on Saturday: a conversation on Entrepreneurship, Impact, and Ethical Capital, moderated by Shahzad Bhatti with Asim Khan, Mustafa S., Dr. Irfan Lakhani, and Firas Ahmad. It was my favorite because every speaker went past good intentions to the structures that decide whether capital actually does good. A few of the key points they conveyed: 1. Capital hesitates until claims can be trusted. Plenty of capital wants to do good but sits on the sidelines. Rushdi's diagnosis: a screen only tells investors what a company avoids. They also need to know whether it is responsible, whether it matches their values, whether the claims can be trusted, and whether the impact can be measured. Until governance answers each question, the money waits. 2. A default should never be a profit center. In most lending, penalties turn a borrower's distress into revenue. Rushdi described a model where a good-faith defaulter repays the actual cost, and any penalty goes to charity, not the lender. When the lender gains nothing from failure, its only incentive is the borrower's success. 3. Values alone don't change a balance sheet. Irfan's research found that companies whose founders' values discourage interest-bearing debt still borrow at the same rate as their peers, even when raising equity is within reach. Intent doesn't reshape a capital structure. A mandate does. 4. Check consequences before you commit. On a real estate project, Asim's firm added questions standard review skips: What was on the land? If people lived there, how were they relocated? What local jobs will exist when it's done? Most diligence asks whether a deal is permitted. His asks who it affects. 5. Better, not just different. Firas builds payment systems in East Africa, where formal finance is scarce and predatory lenders fill the gap. His customers can't afford to pay extra for good intentions, so a values-based product wins only by being better priced and fairer on risk. As Shahzad put it, calling hundreds of millions of people "unbankable" is deeply offensive. 6. Build institutions, not just projects. As Mustafa put it: "A good investor can finance one project. A good institutional framework can make thousands of good projects possible." None of these is a slogan. Each is a structural answer. It's the same conviction behind what we're building at Sinbad Capital: returns earned through operations, not leverage, with claims others can verify. Thank you to the panel for a conversation I'll be thinking about for a long time. Which would you add to your own investment process? #ResponsibleInvesting #EthicalInvesting #ImpactInvesting #SmallBusiness #Stewardship #PrivateEquity #CapitalWithACompass
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Adnan Durrani liked thisAdnan Durrani liked thisI once helped a highly prominent family in Saudi Arabia turn their family office into a professional operation. 4,000+ rental units. Board meetings. And a lesson in discretion that no business degree teaches. I came into it as a generalist, and what I found was not one pain point but many, all tangled together: how the properties were managed, how the numbers were understood, how decisions moved from the principal to the family to the people running the day to day. We implemented a property management system for those 4,000 units, so that for the first time the family could see what was actually coming in and going out. And I sat in the room, advising the principal and his family members as the whole thing shifted from a family-run ethos to a professional structure. The real question in that work is never "what's the main pain point." It's "have you thought of everything," because you haven't, and you won't, and a transformation like that is not something anybody wants to get wrong. You get through it by having good people with you who are reading the situation honestly, and who understand that some things are said only in that room and stay there. I keep coming back to this now, because a US high-net-worth family or a family-based investor group can face the same thing: money already there, a business built on trust, and the delicate work of making it professional without breaking what made it work. Discretion is the whole job. Trust is the vehicle through which we deliver. The finance is what you talk about once you've earned the room.
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