Thanks to its rapid economic growth, Dubai has played a key role in driving the country’s specialty coffee sector forward. In particular, the city’s large expat population has helped drive innovation among its specialty coffee scene. In turn, it seems more and more international coffee companies are looking to invest in Dubai for a number of reasons.

This leads us to a pertinent question: is Dubai becoming the specialty coffee hub of the Middle East? And if so, what does this mean for the wider Middle Eastern coffee market?

To find out, I spoke with Cleia Junqueira, a coffee professional and consultant based in Dubai, and Nooran Albannay, CEO at Coffee Architecture and 2023 UAE Barista Championship finalist. Read on for more of their insight.

You may also like our article on what it’s like to be a specialty coffee barista in the Middle East.

A history of coffee in the Middle East

Before we take a look at the growing specialty coffee sector in Dubai, we first need to briefly look back at the history of coffee in the Middle East.

The region has one of the oldest coffee cultures in the world. Up until the 18th century, the port city of Mokha in Yemen was the biggest global coffee marketplace.

“It was in the Middle East that coffee was given the name we all know today, derived from the Arabic word ’qahwa’,” Cleia says. “The trade and consumption of qahwa (or gahwa) then spread throughout the Middle East and Europe.”

In turn, as trade and production of coffee increased, many coffee houses started to open across the Middle East – including in the UAE.

Coffee houses had – and still have – a great deal of social and cultural significance in the Middle East. At these places, people meet to discuss a number of social, political, and economic issues.

Moreover, Nooran explains that coffee is often a staple of many households in the Middle East. 

“Many households in the UAE brew gahwa in the morning with family before going to work,” she says. “We then usually prepare coffee again for visitors and friends in the afternoon, which we typically serve with dates.”

Qahwa vs specialty

The Middle East’s rich coffee culture means that qahwa and other traditional ways of drinking coffee are still popular in the region. However, at the same time, there is evidence that the specialty coffee market is growing in certain countries, such as the UAE. According to the UAEs Ministry of Economy, there are some 4,000 coffee shops in the country. 

Although not all of these cafés can be considered specialty, demand for higher-quality coffee is certainly on the rise.

Dubai has been a focal point of this growth, most notably because of its international travel links. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, several large coffee brands opened stores in the city – including:

• Costa Coffee
• Starbucks
• Dunkin’

The emergence of specialty coffee

In the last 20 years in particular, we’ve seen a rush from specialty coffee brands – both domestic and overseas – to launch in Dubai.

“[In the early 2000s], Coffee Planet, Raw Coffee, Easternmen & Co, Boon Café, the Specialty Batch, Stumping Grounds and Mokha 1450 were some of the core roasters and coffee shops which helped to pave the way for more specialty coffee businesses in the region,” Cleia tells me.

Nooran explains that Dubai’s specialty market began to expand and diversify in the early 2010s. 

“Dubai’s specialty coffee market started to really grow around early 2014,” she says. “In the beginning, it was geared more towards educating people who were interested in specialty coffee, rather than a more commercial focus, or exploring different flavour profiles and varieties.”

Moreover, many “luxury” global beverage categories are often alcoholic. However, with the consumption of alcohol restricted in many parts of the Middle East, there isn’t a wealth of higher-end beverage options in the region – including in Dubai. In turn, more people are drinking specialty coffee.

Nooran adds that the pandemic also shaped people’s interest in specialty coffee. 

“Many people decided to buy espresso machines and other brewing equipment so they could make their own coffee at home,” she says.

Why is Dubai such an attractive market for specialty coffee businesses?

Against the backdrop of the Emirati coffee market’s explosive growth, we can see that Dubai plays a key role – especially for international businesses looking to enter the Middle East more widely.

This can largely be attributed to the opening of the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) in 2002 – the UAE’s largest free-trade zone which serves as a commodities exchange. 

Cleia explains that the DMCC’s 7,500 square metre Coffee Centre has also helped to consolidate Dubai as a major trade hub for coffee in the Middle East. 

“Dubai has a history of trade, so the DMCC Coffee Centre is having a big impact on how coffee businesses operate in the region,” she tells me.

The centre provides full solutions to companies looking to launch their own coffee brand. This includes sourcing and roasting coffee, as well as warehousing and packaging solutions and a barista training facility. 

Effectively, this makes it much easier to open a coffee business in the UAE. For example, the logistics of opening a coffee business are also streamlined in Dubai, making it a very attractive market for overseas companies to enter.

According to the Business Registration and Licensing sector in Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, there are around 615 coffee trade companies in the city. Furthermore, in 2021, there was a 148% year-on-year increase in the number of licences issued – a strong indication of growth.

However, that’s not to say that Dubai’s specialty coffee sector, as well as the wider UAE, isn’t highly competitive. But if international coffee companies are able to succeed, they can also gain entry to other markets in the Middle East – some of which are showing signs of explosive growth, too.

Specialty coffee events in the country

Since the opening of the DMCC and the growth of the branded coffee market in Dubai, the city has hosted several prominent industry events. Most notably, the first-ever World of Coffee (WoC) Dubai was held in January 2022, which attracted more than 6,600 attendees.

Following the success of the first event, the second WoC Dubai took place in January 2023 at the Dubai World Trade Centre. With over 10,000 people attending the expo and more than 200 exhibitors, the event is a clear indication that Dubai plays a key role in the Middle Eastern specialty coffee market.

“These kinds of events are crucial to Dubai’s coffee market,” Cleia explains. “They also help to show the level of innovation that is happening in the UAE coffee sector.”

This year’s WoC Dubai also hosted the 2023 UAE National Barista Championship, with winner Mariam Erin going on to represent the country at the World Barista Championship in June.

“I attended 2023 WoC Dubai and placed third in the National Barista Championship,” Nooran tells me. “It was great to see so many farmers, roasters, coffee shops, and competitors connecting over a shared passion for coffee.”

How could Dubai influence the future of the Middle Eastern coffee market?

It’s impossible to ignore how instrumental Dubai has been – and continues to be – in the growth of the Middle Eastern specialty coffee sector. But just how much influence could it have in the years to come?

Well, firstly, it’s clear that the UAE’s specialty coffee market is showing no signs of slowing down. According to data from Project Café Middle East 2019, 88% of industry leaders believe that there is more growth potential for the UAE branded coffee market. 

Moreover, three-quarters of industry leaders agree location is a key factor for success in the market, but note that increased competition is the main challenge for branded coffee businesses in the UAE. There were an estimated 9,084 branded coffee shops in the Middle East in 2019, with more surely to have opened over the past four years.

Entry into other markets

Cleia explains that if coffee businesses are to find success in Dubai, there is a higher chance of doing the same in other Middle Eastern markets – including Saudi Arabia.

“If you have a solid business plan, you can replicate and adapt to the Saudi Arabian coffee sector,” she says. “If you can do this effectively, you have a good chance of success.”

Over the last few years, Dubai has established itself as an innovative, disruptive centre for specialty coffee in the Middle East.

By positioning itself as a trade hub for coffee and a gateway for overseas coffee business, it remains an appealing market to enter for brands looking to expand internationally. And while the competitive nature of the market is understandably a concern, it will clearly play a key role in shaping Middle Eastern specialty coffee culture in the future.

Enjoyed this? Then read our article on qahwa coffee and how you prepare it.

Photo credits: Specialty Coffee Association, Coffee Architecture 

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Alongside its historical and cultural significance, the Middle East’s coffee sector has been flourishing in recent years. 

According to data from Project Café Middle East 2023, the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) branded coffee shop market grew by 10.5% over the last 12 months. As part of this, Saudi Arabia experienced the biggest growth – accounting for 40% of all branded coffee shops in the region.

As well as an increasing number of larger chains, more small and independent coffee shops are opening in the Middle East, too. And with a growing focus on specialty coffee comes a different set of expectations for baristas in the sector.

To find out more about how the role of the barista has evolved in the Middle Eastern coffee market, I spoke to three local industry professionals. Read on to find out more.

You may also like our article on coffee culture in Iran.

A history of coffee & the Middle East

Before we explore the burgeoning coffee market in the Middle East, it’s important to take a look back at the rich history of coffee in the region.

Many historians agree that Yemen – which is located in the southern end of the Arabian peninsula – was the world’s first-ever commercial coffee trading hub. Although some believe that coffee was first discovered in Yemen by a Sufi monk around the 9th century, most experts claim that coffee was brought to Yemen from Ethiopia sometime between the 14th and 15th centuries.

Up until the 18th century, Mokha (a port city located on Yemen’s Red Sea coastline) was the biggest coffee marketplace in the world. As trade and production of coffee grew around the world – albeit largely through colonial and imperial structures – many coffee houses started to open in Middle Eastern countries.

Coffee houses quickly became important meeting spaces for local people, who would gather to discuss a number of social, political, and economic issues. Moreover, it was also customary for people to prepare coffee at home for guests – as it still is today in many parts of the Middle East.

When did specialty coffee first emerge in the Middle East?

Although the Middle East’s relationship with coffee dates back centuries, it was only recently that the region’s specialty coffee market began to emerge.

Wayel Al-Wohaibi is a co-owner of Sulalat Specialty Coffee Roastery in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He says that Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) was one of the first places in the Middle East where specialty coffee boomed.

“RAW Coffee Company was one of the first specialty coffee businesses to launch in Dubai in 2007,” he says. “I remember visiting their small booth in the Dubai Garden Centre when they first opened.

“I showed them my roaster, and in turn they encouraged me to start my own business,” he adds. “Between late 2017 and early 2018, specialty coffee began to explode across the Arabian Gulf, Qatar, and Kuwait, too.”

Milorad Sekulovic is the Head of Operations at Coffee Planet in Dubai. He tells me that over the past five years, he has seen firsthand how much the specialty coffee scene has grown in the Middle East.

“Dubai has been at the centre of this change,” he explains. “But growth across the UAE, as well as Saudi Arabia, has also been notable. 

“However, there are more and more plans to invest in the Middle Eastern coffee sector, so this growth is far from over,” he adds.

Milorad notes that specialty coffee sectors in other countries in the region, such as Oman, are also expected to experience significant growth in the next five years or so. 

Moreover, coffee consumption in countries like Egypt and Jordan has been increasing significantly in recent years – indicating potential for further growth.

The changing role of the barista

In specialty coffee shops all over the world, baristas play a key role in the customer experience.

Mariam Erin is a Q-grader and food technologist. She is also the 2023 UAE Barista Champion, as well as the 2022 UAE Cezve Champion and 2021 UAE Brewers Cup Champion. 

She explains that responsibilities for baristas include:

• Knowing how to prepare and serve high-quality coffee
• Helping consumers make more informed purchasing decisions
• Providing excellent customer service
• Disseminating coffee knowledge

“However, there are also a lot of other duties that baristas need to focus on,” she adds.

As well as honing their technical and customer service skills, more baristas are focusing on roles in education, training, and management.

“Depending on the size and structure of a company, these roles can change,” Milorad explains. “But in smaller coffee shops, baristas are usually involved in most aspects of the business. 

“This includes stock management, social media management, and content creation,” he adds.

However, one notable difference when it comes to coffee shops in the Middle East is that many baristas are expatriates.

“For many years, most baristas in the Middle East were Filipino, Indonesian, and Indian,” Wayel says. But as specialty coffee has grown in the region, he notes that the barista profession is becoming more widely recognised and respected.

“When the specialty coffee sector boomed, more Saudi Arabians started working in the industry,” he adds. “I would say that the majority of baristas in Saudi Arabia today are Saudi.”

Women in coffee 

One of the ways in which Middle Eastern specialty coffee culture is changing is by becoming more inclusive. This is especially true when it comes to women working in the sector.

Over the past few years, more and more female competitors have been taking part in the UAE National Coffee Championships. Furthermore, in countries like Saudi Arabia, the number of women taking on barista positions has started to increase. In turn, this means women are able to gain more experience, and possibly look towards launching their own coffee businesses in the future.

“That’s what I love about the coffee industry – there are so many ways that you can grow,” Mariam says. “Whether you want to pursue a management, roaster, Q-grader, or educator position, opportunities for growth and gaining knowledge are becoming more accessible to baristas.” 

However, Mariam points out that while more women are working in the Middle Eastern coffee sector, it is still very much a male-dominated industry. She adds that she believes more progress will be made in the years to come.

Looking ahead

So, given the potential for such vast growth, how can we expect the role of baristas in the Middle East to change in the future?

Wayel thinks that competitions – especially the National Coffee Championships – will play a key part.

“Any barista that wins a competition, or becomes well known in the industry, will receive plenty of work offers from coffee shops or roasters,” he says.

The rise of “coffee influencers” and brand ambassadors is particularly apparent in certain Middle Eastern countries, as well as other parts of the world. These coffee professionals can attract large social media followings, and thereby help to shape trends in the wider industry.

“The more accepting people are of the barista profession, the more the specialty coffee sector will grow in the Middle East,” Wayel adds. “I think this is especially apparent with younger people who have different sets of values to older generations.”

However, Mariam tells me that although building a name for yourself is important, there also needs to be a “back to basics” approach when discussing the barista’s role in the Middle East.

“Being a barista is not just about making coffee,” she says. “It’s also about sharing a moment and creating an excellent experience for the customer.”

As specialty coffee has become more popular in the Middle East, it’s evident that baristas will come to play an increasingly important role in its growth.

And given that the Middle Eastern market is only set to grow, it will be interesting to see how the profession continues to evolve.

Enjoyed this? Then read our article on specialty coffee in Lebanon.

Photo credits: Samantha Hernandez, Sulalat Specialty Coffee, Brewista, Coffee Planet

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