Coffee Planet roastmaster Matt Wade has revealed more about the trends starting to emerge in the coffee industry, especially in the Middle East. One of the foremost movements, according to him, is the rise of speciality coffee.
He said: “Speciality coffee is rising rapidly all the time. There’s more and more interest in it, particularly in Dubai. Two years ago everyone wanted black, dark roasted coffee. Now people say they really like Ethiopian coffee. People have started opening up over here because everyone is working together to push speciality coffee in this country. It’s been a rapid rise but now it’s really, really getting out of control.”
Another trend Wade highlighted was the attractiveness of locally roasted coffee. He explains: “People can see the benefits of fresh, good quality coffee, roasted locally, rather than sticking to the same tired brands.
"We roasted [our coffee] eight days ago which is enough resting time for the coffee. Other brands roast it at headquarters, then it goes to the port, then to sea, and another port. It sits in the sun, sweats and then gets delivered, and sits in the café.”
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He points out there is also a rise in the number of independents – with bringing in small lot coffees and working directly with farmers. “We visit the farmers, find out what they’re doing, find out how we can work together, it can benefit the farmer and benefit us. Forming a partnership is quite important for quality as well,” he adds.
On an international level, cold drip is proving to be popular, and Wade thinks it will soon take off in the Middle East market.
Wade sources Coffee Planet’s beans from 24 different origins around the world – from Indonesia to Africa, Central America, and South America.
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