International Coffee and Tea Festival begins

The International Coffee & Tea Festival (ICTF) has kicked off, with an agenda featuring workshops and competitions, and will run until November 13.

The ICTF will be a platform for entrepreneurs, hospitality professionals and aficionados of coffee and tea at the Meydan Gallery & Convention Centre in Dubai.

Along with a trade exhibition, ICTF will feature various national level coffee competitions, including the barista, latte art, and cup tasters championships

These championships are affiliated with the World Coffee Championships. The event will also feature certified coffee training programmes conducted by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA).

ICTF will also feature interactive platforms such as the espresso and brew bar and a series of business presentations focused on the coffee and tea industry.

Anselm Godinho, who heads the ICTF’s organising team, said: “Coffee and tea continue to gain popularity in the UAE. More speciality cafes are springing up all over the place, much to the delight of discerning customers.

"The café business has proven to be fun, easier to manage than full-fledged restaurants and highly profitable. With the increasing competition comes quality and one of our objectives with the International Coffee and Tea Festival is to educate consumers to demand better on the one hand and provide the training and tools to cafes to meet the growing demands of consumers, on the other.”

“Over 7,000 visitors are expected to attend the festival in Dubai this year and plans are in place to introduce regional competitions and coffee education programmes in Abu Dhabi later this year,” concluded Godinho.