Third wave of coffee sweeps Dubai – News

How this city went from Starbucks to artisanal coffee in a few years

Ahmed Shafi rolls down the window of his SUV as the barista hands the Emiratis a piccolo latte – two ristrettos with steamed almond milk in a 90ml in the cup. Next to his Nissan Patrol, a European couple enjoy their cortado in their BMW 4 Series Convertible while listening to Taylor Swift’s Fearless.

It’s 7pm and the Saddle Café in the Al Wasl Road car park is just starting to get busy. The scene at Nostalgia Café on Al Thanya Street was no different, as cars lined up outside.

Baristas at both locations are scrambling late into the night as they rush from car to car to take or deliver orders.

Elsewhere at The Gray, Raw Coffee Company, Stomping Grounds, and Coffee Lab, coffee lovers enjoy coffees ranging from Panama Geisha V60 to complex coffees, made from single-origin beans and lovingly roasted at the café’s own on-site roastery.

Welcome to the world of the third wave of coffee culture sweeping Dubai.

For the uninitiated, third-wave coffee, or the coffee renaissance, is a movement that views coffee as an artisan beverage rather than a commodity, focusing on the subtleties of flavor, origin, and brewing technique.

The term was coined in 2002 but caught on in Dubai in 2010 and then spread like wildfire.

That could explain the sudden surge in specialty coffee shops and homegrown cafes in the city. Seven food outlets open every two days in the emirate. The vast majority are cafes.

Oddly enough, Dubai’s third-wave coffee movement started in 2007 in a modest 40-foot shipping container at Dubai Gardens Centre, when New Zealanders Kim Thomson and Matt Toogood started using storage bins to roast high-quality green beans from sustainable farms around the world.

The concept was an instant hit.

“We had a mediocre business, but we stood out in the market because of what we provided to our customers,” recalls Toogood, now CEO and CEO of Raw Coffee Company, Dubai’s oldest urban roaster in Al Quoz. owner.

He credits the proliferation of independent coffee shops in Dubai with making customers more aware of where their coffee beans come from.

“More and more people today care about what they consume and how it affects them. We also have an opportunity to educate them about ethical sourcing,” he said.

Ryan Godinho, owner of Stomping Grounds, the Jumeirah family-run Australian-style cafe frequented by Dubai’s royal family, said they had noticed a gradual shift from mainstream commercial brands and franchise models to artisanal small batches in the early stages of the third quarter. single source. 2012 wave movement.

“As more and more coffee drinkers realize that black coffee does not need bitterness, that coffee can be made more delicate, and can be enjoyed thoroughly without sugar or any additives; the true journey of coffee appreciation begins, said Godinho.

“People are becoming aware of well-crafted coffee, and with more roasters and cafés, knowledge and expertise is being spread more widely. This has led to increased awareness of specialty coffee and increased customer expectations,” he explained.

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

“We wanted to introduce a better overall specialty coffee and casual dining experience to the market, with a ‘neighborhood cafe’ feel, at a time when the market was dominated by commercial/franchise model cafes,” recalls Godinho.

The coffees served at Stomping Grounds are premium single origin, sourced from around the world and roasted locally. “In addition to the exclusive Gesha coffee that’s popular here, we also have at least two or three single-origin rotations,” says Godinho.

Both Toodgood and Godinho agree that coffee education and awareness are critical to growing coffee sales in the growing retail space.

“Educating consumers about coffee remains our main drive even now,” Godinho said.

Ahmed Bin Sulayem, executive chairman and chief executive of Dubai Multi Commodities Center (DMCC), which runs the sprawling DMCC Coffee Center in Jebel Ali, said a greater focus on consumer education and service will be a key factor for cafes in the third coffee wave. key to success.

Bin Sulayem plans to triple the capacity of the coffee center with the ultimate goal of processing 20,000 tonnes of green coffee worth more than AED360 million. (see interview)

According to Toogood, the popularity of gourmet coffee has even prompted major coffee chains to improve quality in order to retain customers.

Dubai’s coffee scene has changed dramatically since Starbucks opened its first coffee shop in downtown Deira in 2000. Today, there are more than 100 Starbucks stores in Dubai, and the number is still growing.

Andy Holmes, president of Starbucks Middle East and North Africa at Shaya Group, said the UAE’s love of coffee was one of the main drivers of their expansion in the region.

“One thing is for sure, Emiratis love coffee. The UAE is one of the most established and developed coffee markets in the region, so we expect consumption to grow by around 5% per annum. Our aim is to deliver more than 30 million cups, more and more thanks to our home delivery service,” Holmes said.

Commercial blends have yet to be threatened by specialty coffee, which can cost up to Dh35 for a cup.

There is always a subjective threshold for price-sensitive customers, Godinho said.

“We cannot generalize or determine the extent to which the value of an item is considered and justified. It seems logical that, in most cases, value for money is primarily associated with the overall sensory experience. So at the end of the day, if coffee is ethically sourced , and the quality is still high, then it has a better chance of being accepted and appreciated.”

harrij times DMCC’s Executive Chairman and CEO, Ahmed Bin Sulayem, is a self-proclaimed coffee lover, champion of specialty coffee and positioning Dubai as a global hub for the coffee trade through the DMCC Coffee Centre. Excerpt from interview.

How the Third Coffee Wave Changed Dubai’s Coffee Landscape

Dubai has a long and vibrant coffee history and the beverage is intertwined with Dubai’s culture of hospitality.

Consumers in Dubai are therefore likely to be more knowledgeable than those in other markets; they can really appreciate quality products. As consumers develop a preference for specific flavors, this means that coffee shops serving high-quality, single-origin specialty coffee are becoming more popular.

At the same time, we are seeing world-class baristas emerging in the region. The storytelling element of third wave coffee has also resonated with Dubai consumers. At the same time, demand is further increasing as people become more attuned to the positive social impact that specialty coffee typically provides. Sustainability is a major deciding factor for many consumers, and Third Wave storytelling can underscore this positive impact.

Each of these elements is a key driver behind the operation of the DMCC Coffee Center. Our core roasting, storage and packaging solutions are supported by additional services, such as our barista training facility, which means we support the entire coffee industry, from crop to coffee.We bring the best coffee varieties in the world to Dubai

DMCC Coffee Centers also play a key role in supporting coffee shops in the UAE and beyond, primarily through the provision of roastery and specialty services. By using our facilities and expertise, more than 20 specialty coffee concepts across the country are able to offer their customers unique offerings.

We also run a series of barista competitions to further support Dubai’s coffee ecosystem.

What’s next for Dubai’s coffee industry?

The third wave will continue to have a major impact on Dubai’s coffee scene across multiple facets of the industry.

One that I’m particularly interested in is the innovative ways coffee entrepreneurs in Dubai can bring high-quality coffee to consumers’ homes.

Additionally, consumers in Dubai can expect more coffee origins for them through the DMCC Coffee Center’s connections with different producers around the world.

Many of our members import premium specialty coffee directly from origin farms around the world. In addition, we hold regular coffee auctions, offering a wide variety of specialty coffee varieties.

Each of these efforts is key to consumers looking to find the right bean, roast and brew combination to create the perfect cup of coffee.