Opening branch in Al Khobar in July and soon in Riyadh
Dubai, UAE – Emirati Coffee, the first Emirati home-grown specialty coffee roastery, announces its expansion into Saudi Arabia with its first branch opening in the city of Al Khobar in July, under the brand Knowhere.
The move aims to increase the brand’s presence in Saudi Arabia and be recognized as the highest valued coffee in the country, the fastest-growing coffee market in the Middle East. The hectic work lifestyle and growing globalization, along with the increasing youth population, have been seen to have contributed to the growth.
“Emirati Coffee is committed to making specialty coffee available to all, and this is the reason we are expanding to Saudi Arabia. The expansion is also in line with increasing the company value by implementing robust financial processes and controls and developing a diversified mix of customers. We believe that we can capitalize on the brand’s popularity with the Saudi consumers, especially those that came to love that brand when visiting Dubai,” said Mohamed Ali Al-Madfai, CEO of Emirati Coffee.
He adds: “Our strategy for this year is to identify and mitigate volatility pain points in our industry and invest in marketing and sales, and improve our cash flow and sustain our expansion in Saudi and soon to China. We hope that our presence in Al Khobar will raise our capital to further expand to other cities in Saudi Arabia, and we look forward to our Series A capital raise round next year.”
The coffee roastery supplies specialty coffee to more than 160 outlets worldwide and is also planning to open an outlet in Riyadh in 2022 called Emirati Coffee Roastery. But as early as now, consumers are already following the brand through local specialty coffee shops in Riyadh.
“We want to set a precedent that investments and funds can go towards companies other than technology. With the right investment and value partners, the F&B industry – or any other non-tech industry – has a lot of potential in the region and should be focused on,” adds Al-Madfai.
Aside from KSA, Emirati Coffee is also eyeing the Chinese market and is in talks with Chinese investors to explore opportunities and plan the introduction of the brand there next year.