At the age of 12, Fakhr Hatem El Kallassi (born 1931), started buying and selling eggs and cottage cheeses produced in his village to the nearest cities (5 hours walking).

At the age of 14, Fakhr and his family left the village of Chahtoul in Keserwan Mount of Lebanon, and headed for Bourj Hammoud suburb of Beirut.He found a job with a prominent trade in the area, that helped him gain the experience needed to learn the ropes of the dairy business, and saved enough money to go solo.