Nu-Nu, the Best Yogurt in Iraq
Ahmed Adnan Hashim is passionate about yogurt. He’s passionate about cheese and cream and the other products produced at the Nu-Nu factory in Bada, a small town in northern Babil province. With his brother, Qahetan, managing the factory, Nu-Nu produces what Ahmed said is the best yogurt in Iraq.
“One of the reasons local citizens depend on our products is that we deal in high quality,†Ahmed said.
Buying locally-made Iraqi products isn’t just a matter of pride with Ahmed. Imported products contain additives, he said, something he doesn’t need to use, since his products are shipped fresh and tested regularly. To demonstrate the quality, he opened a container of his yogurt and held it upside-down, and the yogurt stayed inside.
“You couldn’t do that with the imported stuff,†he said. “People in Basrah and Nasariyah in the south, or Mosul in the north, always ask us to provide them with products. It’s a good sign for us that people still want high quality,†he said.
The business, which currently employs about 175 people, used to employ nearly 300.Unsafe roads restricted fresh milk deliveries from local farmers, reducing production.
“We faced a hard situation when the insurgents and militias took over the neighborhoods here,†Ahmed recalled. “We faced a lot of problems, especially with the power.â€
Unreliable power generation makes it difficult to keep machines working and products refrigerated. The two large generators, which provided most of the factory’s power, were so old and in such disrepair that they barely worked at all.
Soldiers from 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Inf. Division, learned of the factory’s problems during an assessment of businesses in the area. They tracked down two one-megawatt generators at the Iskandariyah Industrial Complex, which the state-owned company was willing to donate.
With a pair of heavy-equipment transporters, Soldiers delivered the generators to Nu-Nu factory, Aug. 5. Though slightly used, the generators represented a huge savings to the factory; purchased new, the pair would have cost almost $1 million.
MNF-I
By Sgt. David Turner
4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division
Bless those troops from 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Inf. Division!!! They are AMERICANS ! and I am so proud of them!!
Thanks for telling this wonderful story.
LH Kingman AZ