From speciality roasteries to Instagrammable cafés, there has been a surge in UAE-based coffee concepts bound by a mission to revolutionise the local industry in recent years. We speak to some of Dubai’s most prominent players in the game
KIM THOMPSON – Founder and managing director, RAW Coffee Company
This New Zealand-born businesswoman founded RAW Coffee, one of the UAE’s first artisan roasteries, over 15 years ago, which paved the way for many of today’s coffee businesses.
“We were also the first to embrace the ritual of making coffee by roasting in small batches, focusing on freshness,” says Kim. “Just how your grandmother probably would have done it.”
Apart from its core business of supplying coffee to restaurants and cafés, RAW Coffee has its own striking café in Al Quoz that doubles as a showroom.
Commenting on the industry’s fast-paced growth, Kim says, “It’s quite busy, and there’s a lot of chatter, but that’s cool because it means the industry is growing. We might not be considered hip, but we’re definitely not followers.”
One thing she knows RAW Coffee excels at is the often-underrated ability to offer consistently good coffee. “It’s hard because that means consistency of supply, roasting, build and freshness,” she explains, “And I think that’s not given enough respect or value.”
Armed with experience and knowledge, Kim and her team are innovating their way through steady growth. “We’re developing a ready-to-drink range of beverages free from artificial flavours,” she says. “We’re also working with a couple of young entrepreneurs who are setting up an oyster mushroom farm to supply them with our leftover coffee grinds to tackle waste.”
Next stop for RAW Coffee? Penetrating new markets in the region. “We’re looking at Saudi Arabia and Egypt,” says Kim. “I’m excited to share this journey with the younger generation that has skills I do not possess.”
LEON SURYNT – Managing director, Nightjar Coffee Roasters
“An epic saga of fortitude, myth, and mystery” is how Leon Surynt describes his journey of breaking into the industry. After noticing an increase in the number of cookie-cutter coffee concepts in Dubai, the New Zealander decided to introduce the market to the ‘Third Wave Coffee” movement, which is defined by higher-quality coffee, a more profound emphasis on direct trade and innovative brewing methods. So, in 2017, Leon launched Nightjar, a private-label roastery, followed by a flagship roastery and eatery in the heart of the city to showcase artisanal coffee.
Helmed by a team of “eccentric professionals with a can-do attitude”, Nightjar is all about doing things with “simplicity and subtle humour”. The spot brings like-minded, off-beat coffee fi ends together over fun brews, bites and beyond.
“Coffee is super important to our patrons, but only if it’s not intimidating or too highbrow,” says Leon. “Often people find [Nightjar’s eatery] by word of mouth, unaware that it’s also a roastery, but then leave with a full range of beans and even our signature t-shirts and posters!”
With their recent appointment as official operators of Museum Of The Future’s Cafe X robotic coffee bar, the launch of their Souq Madinat Badr’s dine-in and delivery outlet, and round-the-clock orders for their signature beverages, like the pecan nitro cold-brew coffee and the freshly minted raspberry nitro iced tea, the future looks promising for Leon and the team.
“We are also in the final stage of confirming regional distribution for 2023,” he adds.
ORIT MOHAMMED – Owner, Boon Coffee Roasters
Orit Mohammed doesn’t consider herself a businesswoman but an avid coffee lover who wants people to experience the beauty of her native Ethiopia through one of its prime offerings. And after her imported coffee beans from back home were a hit with the team at Parisian-style café, La Serre, she embarked on a journey of sharing her country’s heritage with the world one cup of coffee at a time.
“I hail from Harar, where coffee was first traded as a commodity,” she says. “Who better to tell the story of coffee and that of the farmers, sorters, roasters and baristas than me?”
Boon is now well into an almost decade-long reign as one of Dubai’s most prominent roasters, with seven cafés across the city frequented by coffee enthusiasts on the hunt for delicious single-origin coffee. “Almost all our customers are people who want to support local businesses,” says Orit. “We have a great community in Dubai.”
"The road to success might have not always been smooth, but it wasn’t anything a positive outlook and friendly advice couldn’t fix. “Breaking into the industry was challenging as there was no blueprint to follow,” says Orit. “The only thing I knew was how to roast a good cup of coffee, but there were great people along the way who supported and guided me.” For Orit, none of it would be possible without the farmers whom she and her team continually empower through education. “I come from one of the biggest farming communities in Ethiopia, so it’s not hard to see what impact giving back can have,” she says."
Today, with every cup of coffee served and bag of beans sold, Orit enjoys the fruit of her labour: an appreciation for speciality Ethiopian coffee is taking over the city. “When I started, most people would request European coffee,” she recalls. “Now, customers are not only asking about their coffee’s origin, but also from which town and village it comes.”
MOHAMED ALI AL MADFAI – Founder and CEO, Emirati Coffee
Despite his grandfather’s past of importing coffee from India and trading it in the 1930s, it was, in fact, a visit to a coffee farm during a trip to Bali in 2013 that sparked Mohamed Ali Al Madfai’s interest in the commodity.
Fascinated by the supply chain that connects farmer to roaster, Mohamed enrolled at the London School of Coffee to learn everything he needed to know in preparation for his new venture. In 2017, he moved back to the UAE to launch Emirati Coffee, a speciality coffee wholesaler, roastery and café, which fast became a notable brand.
It offers businesses and customers single-origin coffee sourced from around the world, with items such as beans, drip bags, capsules and exclusive private collections, each with distinctive character and flavour.
The competitive climate of the coffee world, which Mohamed affirms is “not a fad, but is here to stay”, only fuels his drive to represent his heritage further. “We welcome the competition because it forces us to show why and how we are different,” he says.
From biodegradable packaging to sustainable water consumption practices, to partnerships with environmental and agricultural agencies and plans to switch the delivery fleet to electric cars, technology and sustainability are essential at Emirati Coffee. “We try to reduce our carbon footprint as much as possible,” he says.
MARIA PAVANI – Founder, Três Marias
Coffee has always been part of Brazilian Maria Pavani’s life. Having worked as a part-time barista in Lisbon after high school, she landed in the UAE in 2013 at the age of 22. After working many jobs in the hospitality industry that took her around the world, it was time for Maria to settle down, become her own boss and share her love for coffee on her terms. And in 2019, Três Marias was born.
“Coffee is everything I remember from my youth, and it’s everything I’ve been doing for the past 10 years,” says Maria.
Três Marias started as a service provider supporting companies with private label and training solutions, but a new window of opportunity swung open for the business when the pandemic hit: fans of the brand’s coffee began seeking its single-origin brews to enjoy at home.
To satisfy their demand, Maria launched her e-Commerce site, instantly winning devoted customers for her instant coffee sachets, Nespresso®-compatible capsules and coffee pops, among other direct-to-consumer products. The latter led her to focus on sustainably growing her brand’s notoriety among the competition.
“It’s difficult for me to separate my passion and what makes sense for my business, but my approach to coffee has changed,” she explains. “We are now developing products to help us make a name for ourselves in the market.”
With a recently launched range of alternative milk to provide baristas with great-tasting plant-based options, Maria shows no signs of slowing down. “We are launching our plant-based milk in Saudi this year”, she says. “We also hope to own flagship stores and establish a retail arm in the future.”
