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Based in Qatar, Ghanim is an engineer turned serial entrepreneur. With a mind wired for logic and strategy and a passion for everything plant-based, he is on a mission to help and transform people’s mindsets to live a lifestyle that’s beneficial for their planet, their health, and their future. He started his first business, Evergreen Organics, in 2016 and today runs about 10 companies under Enbat Holdings. He’s worked with local schools, libraries, and financial and investment bodies, producing educational programs to change the status quo. But at the beginning of all that, there was a book. Or, simply, a sentence Ghanim overheard on a TV show that led him to a book.
I wanted to be able to eat healthy here in Doha, Qatar, not having to travel to enjoy a good plant-based meal in a restaurant.
“I started my journey back in 2013 when I read the Beauty Detox by Kimberly Snyder. I was watching Good Morning America one day, and the author was talking about how food has changed the way she perceives life, the way she looks, and how conscious she is of her surroundings.” Intrigued, Ghanim grabbed the book from Barnes & Noble a few blocks away from his home, dove in…and there it was. “In the first few chapters, they talk a lot about how we should be avoiding animal products.” Ghanim was shocked. “I even remember putting the book down and continuing my life.”
A few weeks after, he started seeing a lot of advertisements by new brands producing plant-based milk like cashew or almond. “Why am I seeing them only now?” he wondered. But as serendipity would have it, he went back and picked up the book again. “I think I was in complete denial about everything in that book, but I was shockingly interested.” One thing led to another, and he changed his breakfasts based on the recipes in the book.
A few years flew by, and in 2016, Ghanim decided to create a space for himself and like-minded people to come eat and enjoy plant-based food – that’s how his first restaurant, Evergreen Organics, came about. “I wanted to be able to eat healthy food here in Doha. I used to travel a lot to enjoy plant-based food, but that’s not sustainable, and I think this got me the most motivated to create something for myself and others.” Looking back, it was a huge leap of faith – he had zero experience when it came to running restaurants. “I was completely naive at that time, and I think that’s the reason I managed to get through it – being naive in an industry is a great way for you to take risks. It allowed me to venture out and create 7 other companies.”
I would tell my 20-year-old self that you can’t imagine what’s going to happen in your life. At that age, I definitely thought I was going to be somewhere else doing something completely different by the age of 31 today. I would tell my 20-year-old self to never expect.
I would tell my 20-year-old self that you can’t imagine what’s going to happen in your life. At that age, I definitely thought I was going to be somewhere else doing something completely different by the age of 31 today. I would tell my 20-year-old self to never expect.
Today, Enbat Holdings seeks to address the concerns of vegans, animal lovers, and environmentalists by avoiding investments that directly contribute to animal suffering, destruction of the natural environment, and climate change. But growth does come with challenges. “I have 8 different companies that are fully operational and 250 employees – how can we sustain that? For me, this chapter is about finding a sustainable way of doing business and keeping it ethical, conscious, and with the same intention as how we started. Sometimes the business world can have a huge effect on your way of thinking.” Ghanim himself has a vision to live simply, promote sustainability, minimalism, and living with less. His ideas come from enjoying time spent alone, with his mind and thoughts, walking, or just being on his own.
His advice to his fellow entrepreneurs is to “focus on being real and honest when it comes to marketing and doing business, because that will make your business last.”
“I’ve been vegan for almost 9 years, but as of now, I’m truly obsessed with everything tofu – nice, simple, cooked tofu with loads of sweet potato.”
The Beauty Detox by Kimberly Snyder
The Intern
“…my superpower would be to be able to not age at all.”
“Simple things. Having normalcy in my life, eating good food, sleeping well, working out, and being out in the sun.“
“I’d be a diplomat or in the government.”
“Everybody inspires me. I always say this: I get inspired by everything and everyone; that makes a big difference in my life because I see the little things in everyone and everything, and I try to learn from everything around me. “