Back in 1992 when he boarded his flight to Abu Dhabi with nothing but a hand full of hope and a mind full of determination, Mohammed Basheer had little idea that he was on his way to fulfilling his childhood dreams.

Moahmmed Basheer hails from a fishing village in Kerala, India. He showed a keen interest in business right from his childhood selling odds and sods to the passers-by on the roadside and selling vegetables from a stand outside his house on the main street. He was always into finding new ways to make some extra pocket money so as to save to buy himself an air ticket that would take him beyond the sea to follow his dreams.

As a young boy, helping his father in his hardware shop in Koyilandy in the Kozhikode district of Kerala, he would eventually get lost daydreaming of big business deals and a bright future in some metropolitan city. Upon arriving in Abu Dhabi back in 1992, at the age of 19, he landed his first job as a delivery boy for a grocery store. Later on, in 2000, he shifted to Dubai where he took up the role of a doorman welcoming wealthy Dubai visitors through the doors of Jumeirah Beach Hotel.

Basheer, as always, learnt from everything he saw around him and from the people he met, he gained immense knowledge and understanding of world cultures through the many distinct people he met. During this period as well, Mohammed Basheer found his own genuine ways of earning money through his small sideline business ventures and in 2009, with these hard-earned savings he set forth to take up another risk, making the big decision to open his first Blue Mart grocery store in Barsha.

The new supermarket easily proved successful with its friendly service complemented with in-store and home delivery of basic everyday foodstuffs. What happened from then are the various steps that fulfilled his dream part by part, as the branches of his supermarket expanded making him the chairman and proud owner of a Blue Mart supermarket chain of 24 stores in the UAE and Gulf region. It turned more than Dh200 million in revenues last year and offers employment to over 1000 people.

Today, at the age of 47, his company has widened its reach to own more than 10 restaurants in the UAE such as the Wide Range Restaurant at Kite Beach. Hardworking as he always is, Basheer is now thinking of branching out into the medical sector as well. Mohammed Basheer is deeply grateful to the country that realized his dreams and the Rulers of the UAE alike. He acknowledges the great part played by his adopted country in making his story a successful one indeed.