On Monday, June 23, 2025, Dubai hosted the UAE Coffee Innovation Summit, held at the Simonelli and Victoria Arduino Experience Lab. The event brought together a wide range of industry stakeholders—including café owners, roasters, baristas, coffee professionals, and other key players in the UAE coffee ecosystem—for a first-of-its-kind, open-format gathering designed to discuss innovation, development, and the future of the coffee industry both locally and globally.
Unlike traditional conferences, the summit featured no speeches or panel discussions. Instead, it fostered an open, interactive environment where attendees were encouraged to exchange ideas and experiences freely. Organizers emphasized that the event was non-political, created to bring the community together around one core question: How can we become better as a coffee community?
Throughout the summit, a wide range of ideas and viewpoints were shared, particularly around innovation and the challenges facing the industry—most notably in the area of education and training. Participants widely agreed that improving education and professional development is essential to the long-term sustainability and growth of the sector. Several practical proposals were raised, many of which will be explored further in upcoming features on Qahwa World.
Garfield Kerr: Dubai Has Rewritten the Global Coffee Playbook
The summit was opened by Garfield Kerr, President of the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) and founder of Mokha 1450 café. Kerr emphasized that the UAE, and Dubai in particular, now stands as one of the world’s premier specialty coffee destinations. “I believe the UAE is leading the global specialty coffee industry,” he stated. “You can find the rarest beans and all brewing methods here—something not easily available even in markets once considered global leaders like Australia or the UK.”
Kerr highlighted the pivotal role the UAE has played in unifying the SCA globally. “Had it not been for a country like the UAE,” he noted, “there would be no unified global association. It would still be a collection of regional entities in the U.S. and Europe.” He also revealed that World of Coffee, once limited to Europe and America, was first held outside those regions in Dubai—an event so successful it helped globalize the show.
He added that the current global branding of the World of Coffee show was actually developed in Dubai, which has since become the official identity of the global exhibition—further cementing Dubai’s position as a driver of innovation in the industry.
Discussing the UAE’s current coffee community, Kerr said: “We enjoy great diversity in brewing methods. In UAE cafés, you’ll find Chemex, syphon, ibrik, and other rare tools. You won’t see that in most other markets.” He concluded: “More importantly, we must act as a community—with mutual trust, clear rules, and a shared ethical framework.”
Mohammed Essa Al Ghurair: Competition Must Be Fair, Not Destructive
Mohammed Essa Al Ghurair, CEO of Karam Foods Industries, stressed the importance of fair and constructive competition within the coffee sector. “Yes, we need competition—barista vs. barista, roaster vs. roaster—but not to eliminate one another. Healthy competition creates better products, but only when it’s rooted in respect and integrity,” he said.
Al Ghurair reflected on his personal journey, entering the coffee industry in 2013 after working in commodity trading. “I used to trade odorless, colorless, tasteless cooking oil,” he said. “Today, I work with a product rich in flavor, aroma, and color—and the community around it should be just as vibrant and diverse.”
He emphasized the value of collective engagement: “Even if you’re not Emirati, if your business was born here, you’re an unofficial representative of the UAE when you go abroad.” He called for open, honest dialogue across the sector: “Let’s sit together and speak frankly. If you don’t like my coffee, tell me. I’ll improve. That’s how we grow together.”
Kim Thompson: No Future Without Training and Empowerment
Ms. Kim, Co-founder at RAW Coffee Company, delivered a candid reflection on her beginnings in coffee. “There wasn’t any specialty coffee or business plan when we started—I didn’t even know what an entrepreneur was,” she said. “Maybe my naivety was my strength at the time. It pushed me to learn and evolve.”
Kim identified one of the sector’s key challenges as the disconnect many café workers have with the profession. “A large portion of the workforce is here simply to earn and send money home,” she explained. “Without real training and empowerment, no company can succeed—regardless of how great the coffee is.”
She highlighted the UAE’s geographic advantage in sourcing green beans and expressed concern about the long-term future of producing countries. “Supporting origin countries must be a top priority for everyone in the industry,” she said.
Kim also voiced skepticism toward competitions: “They don’t address the real challenges. What matters to me is whether we’ll be able to keep buying coffee from origin countries in the future.”
She concluded with a call to action: “What counted as success 15 years ago doesn’t cut it today. We need real innovation. We can’t keep repeating the past if we want to evolve.”
Summit Takeaway:
The UAE Coffee Innovation Summit exposed both the pressing challenges and the tremendous potential for collaboration and creativity within the sector. Discussions underscored a growing awareness of the need to invest in education, empower professionals, and create ethical frameworks for engagement.
Qahwa World will continue to explore the summit’s key takeaways and proposals in a series of in-depth articles—ensuring the summit marks not just a milestone, but a turning point in shaping the future of coffee in the UAE.