Light is the new black
La Marquise’s Yurkina believes in the independent concepts and hopes to see “more neighbourhood cafes opening next year serving growing residential areas.”
RAW’s Toogood believes there will be a shift away from black coffees and Turkish coffees as customers find they can enjoy a quality, lighter cup of coffee. However, according to Romanovskis — retro is the way forward.
“People enjoy discovering new ways of coffee making and then adopting them as their own. For example, the method of brewing coffee in a Syphon was invented in the 19th century but has now been rediscovered and is being utilised in many coffee shops around the world,” he says.
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Cafés will also start to demand more from their coffee machines. Falko Plückebaum, key account manager for Melitta says the focus will be on “design, liability, easy function and best quality – reaching almost barista quality.”
Overall, this market does not look set to slow down. If anything, customers are driving it to innovate, says Thompson: “Customers are demanding a better product, not just in terms of coffee, but in terms of better milk, purified water, clean equipment and handmade by a barista who can make the coffee properly.
“We’re expecting to see more roasters come into the UAE, it would be crazy if they didn’t – but the best thing about that is it is going to be better for everybody because it is just going to lift the game,” she concludes.
How niche can you go?
Anantara Hotels, Resorts & Spas introduced Black Ivory Coffee at its four resorts in the Maldives, created from a process whereby coffee beans are digested and naturally refined by Thai elephants. The coffee retails at US$1,100 per kilo.
Win 5Kg of Coffee Planet Coffee!
Caterer is giving away 5kg of coffee of your choice courtesy of Coffee Planet. To be in with a chance to win, answer the following question: "What coffee brewing trend does Romanovskis say is making a comeback this year?" Email the answer along with your name and phone number to hannah.abdulla@itp.com with Coffee Planet Competition in the subject line. Deadline is 20 November.
Facts:
- 1.4bn Cups of coffee are poured a day
- 85% increase in GCC coffee consumption in last three years
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