From Chocolate Expert to Entrepreneur
Some careers are built around one profession. Others evolve into something much bigger. Zeyneb Larabi’s journey belongs to the second category.
Known in the industry as Madame Chocolat, Zeyneb has spent more than 15 years working across the Middle East and international markets in premium chocolate, confectionery, retail and travel retail. Her career has involved much more than selling chocolate. It has been about understanding consumers, building brands, creating partnerships and turning products into experiences.
Today, that experience is becoming the foundation for a broader entrepreneurial chapter. Alongside her corporate leadership, Zeyneb is developing ventures and initiatives connected to food, hospitality, creativity, community and local production.
That shift is what makes her story particularly interesting. She is not simply moving from one career to another. She is using everything she has learned to build an ecosystem around ideas she believes can shape the future of the food industry.
The Making of Madame Chocolat
Chocolate may appear simple from the outside, but Zeyneb’s career shows how complex the industry can be.
Premium chocolate sits at the intersection of craftsmanship, hospitality, retail, branding, consumer psychology and storytelling. Throughout her career with major premium chocolate names including Valrhona and Villars, Zeyneb has worked across these different dimensions.
Her professional experience has included developing retail strategies, strengthening travel retail opportunities, working with airlines and airports, supporting product innovation and creating experiences designed to connect customers with premium products.
Earlier in her career, Zeyneb was already deeply engaged in shaping the Middle Eastern chocolate and pastry scene, with a strong focus on supporting chefs and championing their talent. Beyond introducing premium chocolate products, she worked closely with pastry chefs, chocolatiers and culinary teams to help explore new techniques, develop distinctive flavours and translate their creativity into memorable culinary experiences.
Industry coverage has previously highlighted this role: not simply promoting premium chocolate as an ingredient, but helping build an ecosystem around it; one where chefs could experiment, innovate, exchange ideas and be celebrated for their craft. This commitment to supporting culinary talent and creating bridges between chefs, brands and the hospitality industry has remained a consistent thread throughout her career.
That experience gave Zeyneb something that cannot easily be learned from a textbook. She learned how products move from an idea to a market and, more importantly, what makes people remember them.
Learning From a Changing Food Industry
One of the strongest themes in Zeyneb’s career is adaptation.
The food industry is constantly changing. Consumers want better experiences, brands need stronger stories and businesses are increasingly expected to think about sustainability, local production and innovation.
Zeyneb has consistently operated at the point where these changes meet.
Her work in travel retail has shown her how important emotion and personalisation have become in the premium consumer experience. A recent Dubai Duty Free activation involving Valrhona and Villars demonstrated this approach through Dubai inspired products and personalised gifting experiences. Zeyneb described travel retail as an industry built around emotion, generosity and connection.
That philosophy helps explain her wider entrepreneurial direction.
For Zeyneb, business is not only about creating something that sells. It is about creating something that people can experience, remember and connect with.
Building Beyond Chocolate
The most interesting part of Zeyneb’s current journey is that chocolate is no longer the only focus.
Her entrepreneurial portfolio extends into several areas, including The Agency dxb, Lab Hub Studios, The Cocoa Club, Layers, Her Table and Waldi.
Each initiative reflects a different side of the entrepreneurial mindset she has developed over the years. Together, they suggest a vision that goes beyond a single product or category.
Lab Hub Studios reflects the evolving landscape of food production in the UAE. Launched in Dubai in 2025, the studio brings together culinary creativity, product development and flexible production capabilities to help hospitality businesses and brands transform ideas into commercially viable, locally produced concepts. Drawing on her experience across the culinary, hospitality and premium food sectors, Zeyneb plays a central role in shaping the studio’s creative and commercial direction; connecting chefs, brands and market opportunities while supporting the development of innovative products made in the UAE
The timing is significant.
Dubai has become a major meeting point for global food brands, chefs, hospitality groups and entrepreneurs. At the same time, interest in local production and Made in UAE concepts is growing.
Zeyneb’s work places her directly inside this transformation.
Creating Space for Women to Grow
For Zeyneb, entrepreneurship is also about community.
She co founded Her Table, a network designed to spotlight and connect women founders and leaders across the food and beverage ecosystem. The idea is based on creating opportunities for mentorship, collaboration and professional growth.
This reflects another important part of her leadership philosophy.
Success is rarely achieved alone. Behind most strong businesses are relationships, mentors, teams, partners and communities that help ideas move forward.
By creating spaces where women in the food industry can connect with one another, Zeyneb is extending her impact beyond her own businesses.
It is a natural progression for someone who has spent years working across international markets and different cultures. Her experience has shown her the value of collaboration, and she is now using that lesson to help create opportunities for others.
Leadership That Goes Beyond a Job Title
Zeyneb’s recent professional recognition also highlights how her leadership style is evolving.
In 2026, she was nominated for the Inspiring Women in Travel Retail Awards in the category for Best Inclusive Team Led by a Woman. In discussing the nomination, she emphasised that leadership is not simply about titles. For her, it involves building trust, empowering people, encouraging ideas and creating an environment where teams can grow.
That perspective is important because entrepreneurship often looks glamorous from the outside.
Behind the photographs, events, launches and business meetings are difficult decisions, uncertainty and the responsibility of leading people.
Zeyneb’s journey reflects the less visible side of success. Building a reputation in a global industry requires consistency. Expanding into entrepreneurship requires another level of courage because the decisions become more personal and the risks more direct.
A New Chapter for Dubai Food Entrepreneurship
Zeyneb is now entering a phase where her experience and entrepreneurial ambitions are coming together.
Her work connects premium chocolate, food innovation, hospitality, local production, creative concepts and community building. Rather than treating these areas as separate industries, she appears to see the connections between them.
That approach could become particularly relevant as Dubai continues to attract entrepreneurs and international food businesses.
The city has developed into a global platform where ideas can travel quickly from concept to market. For entrepreneurs with international experience and strong regional knowledge, this creates opportunities to build businesses that are both locally relevant and globally minded.
Zeyneb’s background gives her an unusual advantage in that environment. She understands premium consumers, global brands, chefs, retailers and travel audiences, while also developing a deeper focus on local entrepreneurship and food production.
The Story Is Still Being Written
Perhaps the most inspiring part of Zeyneb’s journey is that it does not feel finished.
There is no single achievement that defines her career. Instead, her story is about continuous evolution.
She began by building expertise in an industry that demands precision, creativity and commercial understanding. She grew into a senior leader in global retail and travel retail. She became known as Madame Chocolat. Now she is using that experience to explore entrepreneurship, food innovation, community and new business concepts.
Her journey offers a simple lesson for aspiring entrepreneurs. Experience does not have to remain tied to the career you started with. It can become the foundation for something entirely new.
For Zeyneb, chocolate opened the door. Her ambition is now taking her much further.
And as Dubai’s food and hospitality landscape continues to evolve, her next chapter may prove just as interesting as everything that came before it.
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