Post by Yann Rousselot-Pailley يانّ غوسولو-بايي

THE WAFFER, THE PERFUME, AND THE BEDOUIN: WHAT FAMILY BUSINESSES GET RIGHT ABOUT INNOVATION Why does a wafer born in the Italian Alps show up—unchanged—in a Riyadh supermarket? And what can a 154-year-old French flavour house teach Saudi CEOs about the future? This summer, I drove from Bar-sur-Loup to Bolzano and ended up, by sheer accident, reflecting on "Rooted Innovation'. The route looks random on a map. On a balance sheet, it isn’t. Here’s the pattern: MANE, now led by fourth-generation CEO Samantha Mane, still distills orange-blossom where her great-grandfather did. Yet it just built a flavour plant in Jeddah with Banawi Industrial Group—another family firm with equally patient capital. Loacker still taps Alpine spring water for its wafers, but it reaches Gulf consumers through a 30-year handshake with Al Kabli Holding. Four families on three continents converge on one idea: innovation works best when it’s bolted to ancestry. Scholars call this “Rooted Innovation” I call it a reminder that the past isn’t baggage; it’s ballast. In my new article I break down how a “Tradition × Innovation” score can reveal your next growth lane. Six moves—tested from Provence to Jeddah—that any Saudi entrepreneur dynasty can deploy by next quarter. Curious? Grab a coffee (ideally with a wafer) and read the full story here 👉 #FamilyBusiness #Innovation #RootedInnovation #SaudiArabia