Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The World of Coffee Dubai 2023 exhibition, organised by DXB LIVE, the integrated event management and experiential agency of the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), in association with the Specialty Coffee Association, attracted significant number of visitors on its closing day. The exhibition, in its second iteration, was a huge success in light of a large number of foreign visitors, experts, and specialists, as well as the participation of thousands of coffee workers in its many activities and events.

On the final day of the event, the exhibition suites provided excellent activities and events, while the baristas created exceptional coffee beverages for visitors at the Roasters Village. The ‘Neighborhood Roastery, ‘CoffeeTrading,’ ‘Kona House Coffee,’ ‘Koraput Coffee,’ and the ‘Cazador Specialty Coffee Roastery’ astounded spectators at the Brew Bar booth with their impressive performances. With the participation of JNP Coffee, mokha ‘Kirchanchi,’ and ‘Ororo Experience,’ the visitors to the Cupping Room booth watched and learned methods of creating several types of international coffee.

The winners of the ‘UAE National Barista Championship,’ were announced on the final day of the exhibition, in which the top coffee professionals from the UAE competed for the title and the opportunity to represent their country in the yearly ‘World Barista Championship’. The first place was granted for Mariam Erin Pinza from Cosmic Garden Coffee Roastery, the 2nd place was given to Kemal Risyad from Archers Coffee and 3rd place to Nooran AlBanny from Coffee Architecture. Furthermore, the Best New product Award was presented to “Latte Art Factory”, and the Coffee Design Award was bagged by “The Espresso Lab”.

Two panel discussions preceded the ceremony: the first included Carlos Gonzalez, Rancilio Group Coffee Competence Manager, and the second included San Diego Londono and Shaharam Masumi, founders of Colombian Exotic Coffee. The speakers highlighted latest techniques for preparing coffee beverages and shed light on strategies to achieve excellence in the industry. Following these discussions, the leaders, contributors, and sponsors were honoured. The final rounds of the ‘Best New Product’ competition was also held on the closing day.

Commenting on their participation, Saud Al Nuaimi, CEO of Coffee Desk, said: “ We are delighted to participate in the second edition of World of Coffee Dubai 2023, a premier international event that draws traders and investors from across the globe. Our participation offered an ideal opportunity to promote our business and strengthen its footprint in the UAE and the Arabian Gulf region. One of Europe’s top suppliers of coffee equipment is The Polish Coffee Disk. The most well-known brands from Europe, America, and Japan are among its partners. The first showroom in Dubai’s Al Quoz neighbourhood opened for business as part of our regional debut. In addition to the 14 roaster items we host on our platform, including 6 roasters from the UAE and 8 from Europe, we witnessed an exceptional turnout of visitors who flocked to our platform to view our coffee equipment, and the number of visitors exceeded our expectations. Additionally, the exhibition offers numerous opportunities to collaborate and strengthen our cooperation. We signed collaboration agreements to deliver equipment to two companies from Saudi Arabia and one company from the UAE at the end of the first day. We anticipate more opportunities to interact with potential customers and improve chances for growth and prosperity.”

While Anas Al Madani, Vice President and CEO of Index Holding, said: “We gained immense opportunities to promote our products and expand our business during the World of Coffee Dubai 2023. We have been able to establish new relationships with a number of coffee shops to provide high-quality coffee and highlight the products of the ‘DXBlends’ brand, an industry pioneer in the UAE’s specialty coffee market. We also introduced the new Italian roasting IMF as part of our participation in the exhibition, which is regarded as one of the most cutting-edge roasting device and environmentally friendly device due to its low energy usage and emissions. The exhibition’s success this year was astounding, owing to large turnout of local, regional, and international visitors, businesses, and brands, surpassing the figures of the first edition. We are certain that future events will achieve further growth and prosperity.”

Mira Fouany, Marketing Manager, Roastery station expressed her pleasure in participating for the first time at the exhibition and gaining the opportunity to interact and network with visitors and business from across the globe. She said: “Numerous specialists and experts visited the Roastery Station platform expressing their interest and gratitude for our wealth of knowledge and innovative expertise in coffee roasting and preparation. We are thrilled to be competing in the UAE National Barista Championship, which is a exceptional platform for us to display our abilities and creativity.”

A series of lectures and workshops reviewing the most recent advancements in the industry and the methods utilised in the sectors of coffee manufacturing and preparation were among the highlights of the final day of the exhibition. A session titled ‘The Future of Experimental Coffee in Kenya’ was presented by Anatoli Korostelov, Head of Quality at iFest, Q-Grader. Felix Schmid, Director of Helfezi AG & Yves delivered a lecture titled ‘Grinding Technology’. Under the supervision of Patrick O’Malley, IBCA, USA, and UAE, a workshop titled ‘Setting up a Lab: The Importance of a Q Program and New CQI Training Courses’ was also held.

The second edition of the “ World of Coffee Dubai 2023” exhibition, a pioneering global event, assembled coffee workers, traders, manufacturers, distributors, small and medium-sized companies, cafe owners, roasters, hotels, coffee lovers, and tasters and baristas from across the globe under one roof. The exhibition witnessed an exceptional turnout, with thousands of visitors and wide participation of local, regional, and global coffee companies and brands.