How Dubai graduated from Starbucks to artisan coffee

What is the third wave of coffee?

For the uninitiated, third wave coffee, or the coffee renaissance, is a movement that views coffee as an artisan beverage instead of a commodity, focusing on the subtleties of flavour, origin and brewing techniques.

The term was coined in 2002 but gained traction in Dubai in 2010 before spreading like wildfire.

That would explain the sudden proliferation of speciality coffee shops and homegrown cafes in the city. Seven food establishments open in the Emirate every two days. An overwhelming majority are cafes.

Humble origins

Curiously, the third wave coffee movement in Dubai began in a modest 40-foot shipping container at Dubai Garden Centre in 2007, when New Zealanders Kim Thomson and Matt Toogood started using the storage box to roast high-quality green beans sourced from sustainable farms around the world.

The concept was an instant hit.

“We were doing average business but we stood out in the market because of what we offered to customers,” recalls Toogood, who is now the CEO and owner of Dubai’s original urban roaster, the Raw Coffee Company in Al Quoz.

Discerning customers

He reckons the surge in independent coffee shops in Dubai has made customers more aware of where their coffee beans come from.

“More people today care about what they consume and how it could affect them. We also have the opportunity to educate them about ethical sourcing,” he says.

Ryan Godinho, managing partner at Stomping Grounds, a family-owned Australian-style cafe in Jumeirah frequented by Dubai royals, says they noticed a gradual shift from mainstream commercial brands and franchise models to artisanal small batch single origins, in the early stages of the third wave movement in 2012.

“As more and more coffee drinkers realised that black coffee does not need to taste bitter, that coffee can be more nuanced and can be thoroughly enjoyed without the need for sugar or any add-ons, the journey of genuine coffee appreciation started,” says Godinho.

“People became aware of a well-crafted coffee, and as more roasters and cafes popped up, there was a wider spread of knowledge and expertise. This led to an increase in speciality coffee awareness and a rise in customer expectations,” he explains.

In 2015, Godinho set up a Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)-certified coffee training campus in Dubai, which eventually evolved into the Stomping Grounds Café.

“We wanted to introduce a better overall experience of speciality coffee and casual dining with a "neighbourhood cafe" feel to a market, which at the time had mostly commercial/franchise model cafes,” Godinho recalls.

The coffees served at Stomping Grounds are all premium single origin, sourced from around the world and roasted locally. “We offer at least two to three single origins on rotation besides exclusive Gesha coffees, which are trending here,” says Godinho.

Both Toodgood and Godinho feel coffee education and awareness is critical to the growth of coffee sales within the ever-growing retail space.