Hijazi food brings success to Saudi woman entrepreneur

Saudi Gazette report JEDDAH — Ola Rajab is a Saudi woman who started her work from scratch. She hoped for moral support from her family and relatives but was disappointed. Rajab launched her "Hijazi House" a few years ago and now she has a dedicated team of 12 women, of whom four are Saudis. Rajab trained and educated the women so they could provide the best to the customer. Rajab adopted a traditional Hijazi style in food catering. In 2011, she launched the project with humble beginnings and one simple menu. By choosing the name Hijazi House, she aimed to address the authentic food, clothing and furniture of the region. Rajab participated in the leadership competition organized by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 2013. Despite the death of her brother at the time, she insisted on participating. The experience reinforced her with persistence and resilience, where the competition formed a huge leap for her business and transformed it from a small project to the current institution. "Because I love heritage and traditions, I wanted to present the Hijazi House in a proper manner," said Rajab. She expressed her happiness while commending the elderly when they visited her, saying they brought her a lot of beautiful memories. After expanding her services, Rajab is seriously considering opening her first official shop although she thinks it's impulsive and risky. "I don't look back and I hope I can overcome all obstacles to reach any level of success and to become among the top Saudi entrepreneurs," said Rajab.