Something's brewing on the UAE coffee scene

The International Coffee & Tea Festival is the region's only dedicated trade event for the specialty coffee and tea industry.

The UAE will very soon tempt travellers from around the world with its very own café culture, experts at the International Coffee & Tea Festival (ICTF) in Dubai predicted.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event on Wednesday, Anselm Godinho, managing director of International Conferences & Exhibitions (IC&E), organisers of the event, said the UAE was fast emerging as a key international player in the Middle East's burgeoning café culture and specialty beverage industry.
"When people think of Dubai and the UAE, they associate it with malls and shopping, and not as a place to explore the local coffee scene. This is beginning to change in recent years and you can see a number of small speciality coffee shops, roasteries and cafes opening. There is already a huge interest in speciality coffee in the country, which is only going to grow in the coming years. The concept of a coffee culture is evolving in the region, and soon we will see the UAE develop its very own unique coffee culture," he said.
Godinho also spoke about the strides that Dubai is making in becoming a vital commodity trade destination for coffee and tea. He highlighted the recent signing of an agreement between the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) and Mega Capital Halal (MCH), a Hong Kong-based holding company, to import coffee annually from China's Yunnan State Farms Group to Dubai for world distribution. The agreement will see MCH export up to 140,000 tonnes of Chinese Arabica beans from the Yunnan State Farms Group to Dubai.
The DMCC also has plans develop a Coffee Centre, similar to the highly successful DMCC Tea Centre, which has enabled the UAE to become the largest re-exporter of tea in the world. The DMCC Coffee Centre will offer storage and warehousing facilities, offices and co-location space within a 4,500sqm temperature-controlled facility.
"This has been a major step for Dubai," said Godinho. "Soon, we will see greater volumes of coffee flowing through Dubai. What this means for local businesses is that they won't have to go very far to get speciality coffee, and as a result their costs will go down. The local market will have lots of opportunities to acquire better coffee. Large roasteries will stand to benefit from the inflow, and packaging companies are also going to grow."
In addition, Godinho also spoke about the impact the move would have on consumers in the UAE. "Before, everyday consumers would look to large franchises to acquire speciality coffee; with this deal and the new plans for a coffee centre under way, they will soon have access to wonderful speciality coffee. The coffee scene is also set to change. Already we see a shift towards small neighbourhood cafes which serve speciality coffee, and which are proving popular with consumers in the UAE." Speaking on what needs to be done to set the scene for the UAE's coffee culture, Godinho said that it was important for experts to educate everyday consumers about speciality coffee, and bring in more events and competitions to allow baristas and coffee professionals to perfect their craft.
The eighth of the International Coffee & Tea Festival was inaugurated by Yousef Al Serkal, group managing director of IC&E, and is the region's only dedicated trade event for the specialty coffee and tea industry. The event will run until November 4, 2016 at the Meydan Gallery in Dubai.
All segments of the show engaged visitors with different interests. The UAE national-level coffee competitions were a crowd puller for baristas, fans, employers and sponsors. Skilled baristas have come to compete for four National Coffee Titles. Over the next two days, the Barista, Latte Art, Brewers Cup and Cup Tasters Championships will continue to engage participants and enthral visitors with their skills and knowledge.
In addition, many aspiring and professional baristas, business owners, roasters and coffee importers have registered for the many workshop modules on Coffee Preparation, Green Coffee Grading and Roasting. Certified by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA), the world's largest trade organization for specialty coffee, and delivered by trained professionals, the specially designed training program has, over the years, help improve the skills and knowledge of those involved in the café and coffee business, much to the benefit of the consumer. An added attraction, the Brew Bar Presentation and Seminars schedule proved to be popular at the event. Buyers and enthusiasts have the opportunity to taste different types of coffee and tea as well as learn to appreciate the distinct aromas and flavours of coffee and tea from different regions. Alongside, they explored a variety of coffee bar products, equipment and accessories.
- rohma@khaleejtimes.com