A Cardiff-based ingredient manufacturer has secured new wholesale customers thanks to technical support delivered through the Welsh Government’s HELIX Programme, previously named Project HELIX.
Aromada, which produces a range of mirror glazes, jams and jellies that are supplied to the baking industry, secured SALSA food safety certification following support from ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre at Cardiff Metropolitan University.
Founded by Samir Bougaci and Motaz Dadou in 2019, Aromada combines the pair’s experience in ingredient manufacture and luxury patisserie. Motaz previously worked in development for a European ingredient manufacturer whilst Samir is a trained baker who also owns a Cardiff-based celebration cake company.
To grow their business, Samir and Motaz decided that they would need to secure SALSA certification. SALSA is one of the most widely recognised food safety certification schemes in the UK and it enables smaller manufacturers to demonstrate that they are operating to industry-recognised food safety standards.
As neither Samir nor Motaz had experience of SALSA certification, they approached the food safety experts at ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre for support through the HELIX Programme. The Welsh Government funded programme provides funded technical support to Welsh food and drink companies.
Working closely with a ZERO2FIVE technologist, Aromada were mentored to develop their food safety management procedures and paperwork in line with the requirements of SALSA. This included areas such as cleaning, pest control, traceability, incident management, labelling and product shelf-life.
ZERO2FIVE also delivered a range of bespoke training on subjects including the HACCP approach to food safety, allergen management and supplier approval.
Aromada successfully passed their SALSA audit in January 2025 and securing this certification has opened up much bigger wholesale markets for the company, both in Wales and across the UK. The company has already secured an order from BAKO Wales, a co-operative that supplies bakery ingredients across Wales.
Samir Bougaci, Director, Aromada, said “We’re incredibly grateful to ZERO2FIVE for their invaluable support throughout our journey. Their guidance with our hygiene paperwork and their expert assistance were key in helping us achieve our SALSA certification. Their team was always approachable, knowledgeable, and truly committed to our success – we genuinely couldn’t have done it without them.”
Professor David Lloyd, Director of ZERO2FIVE Food Industry Centre, said: “Food safety certification schemes like SALSA are important to many manufacturers as they are often required to become a supplier of national and regional retailers, wholesalers and foodservice providers. If you’re interested in securing certification for your company, then I encourage you to get in touch to find out more about the funded support which we can offer.”
