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‘World of Coffee Dubai 2023’ kicks off amidst high anticipation

The first day of the exhibition hosted a wide range of visitors and featured various activities and events, expecting over 1,500 international and regional companies and brands to participate in the event.

Ahmad Belhoul Al Falasi, UAE Minister of Education, on Wednesday inaugurated the ‘World of Coffee Dubai 2023’ exhibition.

Al Falasi toured the exhibition and was briefed on the most notable products that participating local, regional, and global companies had on display. He met several exhibitors and commended the immense turnout at second edition of the exhibition.

The three-day event is being organised by DXB Live, the integrated event management and experiential agency of Dubai World Trade Centre, in cooperation with the Specialty Coffee Association.

The first day of the exhibition hosted a wide range of visitors and featured various activities and events, expecting over 1,500 international and regional companies and brands to participate in the event.

Furthermore, the pioneering event serves as an ideal platform to congregate the leaders of the coffee industry, coffee connoisseurs and professionals from across the globe to explore newer avenues for development and various activities pertaining to the sector.

Khalid Al Hammadi, senior vice-president of DXB Live, said the second edition of World of Coffee Dubai 2023 is of high significance to the coffee sector given the increased level of global interest for participating in its numerous activities.

“This year, the exhibition has been successful in bringing together numerous industry leaders and professionals from global, regional, and local levels under one roof, further offering significant opportunities to strengthen networks, forge alliances, and discuss future prospects,” he said.

“We look forward to showcasing the pioneering position of the coffee sector in the UAE and creating a significant impact on visitors from across the globe regarding the coffee culture in Dubai and the customs and traditions associated with it. Additionally, we hope that all attendees will have an exceptional and exciting experiences at the exhibition's activities, events, and competitions this year,” he said.

Khalid Al Mulla, chief executive officer of the SCA UAE Chapter, said this global exhibition plays a vital role in providing an ideal platform to congregate prominent specialists and pioneers of the global and regional coffee sector, and reflects Dubai’s commitment to strengthen commercial, economic and tourism sectors in the nation.

“The immense turnout of thousands of experts and specialists from across the globe in this exhibition and the business events hosted by the Emirate reflects the confidence of the international community and its recognition of the crucial role that Dubai plays in fostering commercial traffic at regional and global levels,” he said.

Yannis Apostolopoulos, chief executive officer of the Specialty Coffee Association, said: “We are pleased to work with DXB Live to host this international event, which focuses on the global coffee industry. The exhibition's opening day was packed with seminars and lectures, and we further express our gratitude to the judges and volunteers whose efforts made this exhibition possible.”

Warwick Gird, general manager of Marketing Spinneys Dubai, said: “Our collaboration with ‘World Of Coffee Dubai 2023’ aligns with our desire to help promote the expansion and prosperity of the coffee trade. It is also in line with our vision to support new local businesses and local brands in the sector by providing a chance for the winner of the ‘Best New Product’ competition to participate in our local business incubator programme. This collaboration represents a significant step given the pioneering role of the exhibition in promoting the coffee community's growth and profitability at local, regional, and international levels.”

‘UAE National Barista Championship’ competition

Several activities and events were held on the first day of the exhibition, the most significant being the ‘UAE National Barista Championship,’ in which prominent and accomplished baristas from across the nation compete to qualify for the ‘International Barista Championship’. An international jury evaluated the entries based on the quality of the beverages, presentation, creativity, technical competence, and cleanliness.

The national championship aims to promote excellence in the coffee industry, highlight the barista profession, and give baristas a platform to demonstrate their skills and innovative abilities in the field of coffee preparation. An international jury evaluates their entries based on the quality of their drinks, presentation, creativity, technical competence and cleanliness. The national championship aims to allow baristas to showcase their skills and creativity in the field of coffee making, as well as shed light on the barista profession and support excellence in the coffee industry, which consists of Benedictus Mbongiseni, La Maison Gateau Café, Pradip Basnet, Stomping Grounds; Nooran Albannay, Coffee Architecture; Sonam Sherpa, PDL Coffee & Co.; Mariam Eren Pinza, Cosmic Garden Coffee Roastery; Hibatul Wafi, Encounter Coffee Roastery; Drew Joshua Dennehy, Three Coffee; Lian Kriszle Sanglitan, Café 2.0; Aldy Nugroho, The Espresso Lab; Abdulla Almheiri, Coarse Coffee; And Kemal Risyad, Archers Café.

Dazzling offers and a tour of international coffee varieties

The exhibition offers a variety of unique experiences, as visitors flocked to the ‘Roosters Village’ pavilion to meet professionals from the coffee industry, learn about their methods of coffee preparation, and sample coffee variants prepared with unique and distinctive methods from around the world.

The ‘Pro Bar' also witnessed an impressive footfall for its unique experiences, in which 12 participating companies and brands got a three-hour period to display their coffee variants. The companies participating in the ‘Pro Bar’ included ‘Guatemalan Coffees’, ‘The Eco Machine’, ‘Corabot Coffee’, ‘Kirchanchi, El Patrón’, ‘Tess Super General Trading, Roasters’, ‘IST’, ‘Things Café’, ‘Coffee Trading’, ‘Coffee Planet’, and ‘Pani Coffee’.

Wide choice of coffee gourmets

During the first day of the exhibition, the ‘Cabin Room’ booth hosted four exhibitors: Earth Roastery, Skuvsna NV, the Alliances for Action initiative from the International Trade Centre, and the Golden Cup Championship winners from Fairtrade Coffee. Each of them highlighted a particular variety of coffee beans and the unique roasting techniques used to prepare them and provided gourmet visitors and coffee enthusiasts with the opportunity to taste, assess, and compare them.

The exhibition is open from Wednesday and Thursday, January 11 and 12, 2023, from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, and Friday, January 13, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm.

— muzaffarrizvi@khaleejtimes.com