The Saudi Grand Parent Company is to become the franchise distributor for Cobb broiler breeders in the Arab Gulf area known as the GCC countries including Yemen.

The distribution agreement was signed by Pelayo Casanovas, sales and technical director of Cobb Europe, Mohammed Chail, sales and business development manager of Cobb, and Ibrahim Al Thonayan, who heads the Saudi Grand Parent Co – to be known as Cobb Saudi Arabia.

Its new complex will become one of the largest for Cobb grandparents, with a planned capacity of over five million female breeders per year. This project will based near the Al Jouf area for bio-security reasons.

Mr Al Thonayan is also the chairman of AIMCO company in Riyadh. He established in 2007 a breeding company, Al Bayyad Co, to provide Hisex egg layer chicks from Hendrix Genetics for the Saudi Arabian and GCC markets. Al Bayyad is also the exclusive distributor of Hisex layer chicks for the other GCC Countries as well as the Kingdom. Mr Ibrahim and his partners in the Saudi Grand Parent Co will become the exclusive Cobb distributors in the near future, with the first parent stock hatched in 2010.

Mr Al Thonayan says the company is proud and delighted to be associated with both Cobb-Vantress and Hendrix Genetics. The two companies have a strategic alliance in poultry breeding which he believes will benefit the industry in Saudi and GCC countries.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for the Cobb 500 in the region,” says Mr Casanovas. “Our product is performing extremely well worldwide and we look forward to Cobb Saudi Arabia supplying customers throughout the region, providing the benefits of local supply and technical service.”

www.cobb-vantress.com	20 October 2009
For further information please contact: Clark Baird Cobb-Vantress +1 479 524 3166 Euan Meldrum Cobb Europe +44 1206 835835 Roger Ranson BHR Communications +44 845 402 6527
	20 October 2009 Left to right: Sheikh Ibrahim Al Thonayan (centre) pictured with Mohammed Chail (left) and Pelayo Casanovas after signing the Cobb grandparent agreement