A calm, time-respecting, people-respecting leadership personality, he sees success as a collective journey rather than a solo race, believing that every person on the team holds a piece of the solution and the path to improvement, He avoids exaggeration, acts practically, and makes precise decisions, He is Eng. Hani Berzi, Chairman of “EDITA” Food Industries, former Chairman of the Food Export Council Egypt, and one of the most prominent leaders of the food industry in Egypt and the Arab region.
His 39-plus-year career has forged a management school that blends operational discipline with brand-building and regional expansion.
Egypt’s Food-Exports in 2024: USD 6.1 million, ~21% YoY— Factors Behind the Upswing
Berzi achieved record numbers during his chairmanship of the Food Export Council, which began in 2019 and continued for two consecutive terms until 2024.
He managed a difficult phase with realism and strong networks, while leaving room to broaden the benefits to a wider base of exporters.
He maintained export momentum despite COVID shocks, the war in Ukraine, and regional volatility by focusing on competitiveness and resilience—delivering tangible results year after year, with clear export growth that most recently reached USD 6.1 billion in 2024, up by about 21% versus 2023.
He continues to serve on the Council’s Board of Directors to carry forward teamwork with Mahmoud Bazan, the current Chairman of Food Export Council Egypt, and fellow board members—helping food-industry exports reach USD 5.146 billion up to last September, a 9% increase over the same period.
Hani Berzi’s Team-Led Leadership: Calm, Precise, and Outcome-Driven
Hani Berzi leveraged his network and experience as Edita’s Chairman to unify the industry’s message and advocate for exporters’ interests before the government and international bodies.
He also broadened institutional representation via the Federation of Egyptian Industries, the Chamber of Food Industries, chairing the Egyptian–Greek Business Council, and membership of the Egyptian Center for Economic Studies—building an institutional network that links factory floors to markets and to the regulatory framework.
This turned challenges into actionable policies and faster market-entry pathways, strengthening coordination across the ecosystem. He emphasized trade fairs and B2B matchmaking, supporting events like Food Africa, and promoted the export map as a tool to close deals and build long-term relationships in target markets.
All of this stems from experience that began with Tasty Foods, founded by the family in 1986, followed by international exposure at PepsiCo (1990–1992) in sales and marketing, then the establishment of Digma Trading in 1993 as a nucleus for an integrated distribution and supply-chain model—leading up to «Edita», whose board he joined in 1996 and later became Chairman & Managing Director in 2006, transforming it from an ambitious local company into a regional reference player in packaged snack foods.
State Confidence and a Policy-Making Mandate
Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly appointed Eng. Hani Berzi as a member of the Prime Minister’s Export Development Committee—a clear indication of his success and of the state’s confidence in his ability to deliver proposals and policies that benefit the economy and exporters.
This role connects his hands-on industrial and export experience to the decision-making kitchen, translating factory- and market-level lessons into practical steps that raise the competitiveness of Egyptian products and accelerate their entry into international markets.
Record Financial Performance Reflecting Robust Growth
Within Edita, which continues to grow year after year, the company’s latest disclosed figures in August 2025 showed exceptional Q2 results: EGP 5.0 billion in revenue (+22.2% YoY) and EGP 539.0 million net profit (+72.1% YoY), driven by higher volumes in cakes, bakery, and salty snacks—up 7.8%, 47.6%, and 34.5%, respectively.
On the external-expansion front, export sales rose 47.7% to EGP 451.0 million. Edita Morocco recorded 44.3% revenue growth alongside wider coverage, while the company is proceeding to enter Iraq with local manufacturing by transferring a bakery line to Baghdad, with production slated to start by end-2025. This follows a strong export presence and will deepen manufacturing capacity and broaden the regional distribution base.
For these reasons, Hani Berzi is a leader who balances operational rigor with bold expansion—a story that began with a family factory, crystallized at Edita as a leading regional brand, and today extends to institutional roles that build a more efficient export ecosystem.
The core truth stands: industry competitiveness is not measured by numbers alone, but by an organization’s and an ecosystem’s ability to sustain innovation, broaden the export base, and deepen value added.
This article was written by: Mohamed Metwally
