KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA – COFE, the online coffee marketplace platform recently announced the launch for their latest vertical, the COFE Store with the launch of the Saudi Khawlani bean product line. The Saudi Khawlani beans drip bags and whole bean bags were launched by Starbucks Co-Founder & COFE Advisor, Zev Siegl, who came down specially from Seattle (USA) to mark this momentous beginning.
For the launch, COFE senior leadership team, along with Zev Siegl and a host of influencers from across the region visited the coffee farms where the Saudi Khawlani beans are being sourced from. The team spoke to the farmers, had a chance to understand the finer details of what it takes to make a single cup of specialty coffee, and enjoy the picturesque mountains of the Jazan region, as well as explore the coffee scene in Jizan City.
Commenting on the occasion, COFE Founder & CEO, Ali Al Ebrahim said, “We have been working on this little dream of ours for quite some time. A couple of months ago we started moving towards bringing this dream to fruition. With the acquisition of Sippy, we first added a host of roasteries to our partners, and bringing on Kaffeen helped us reach out to more coffee lovers across the kingdom. Having Zev Siegl here, who has been our guide and mentor since we started on this journey, has just added to our celebrations. We can’t wait to see how our users will like this product, and can say one thing for sure this is only the beginning!”
Zev Siegl, who is one of the founding partners of Starbucks Coffee Company, has been working to enable entrepreneurs and business owners around the world succeed. He is also a globally recognized keynote speaker, consultant, and business startup advisor. He came onboard COFE as their advisor, when the brand launched back in late 2018, and was one of the first people to comment that the brand is most likely to go global as it grows and expands. “I have never had any doubts about COFE capabilities, in the hands of its passionate team, it is destined to succeed. I am so happy to be a part of their journey, and so proud to be here with them in Jazan, as they cross yet another landmark. I wish them all the very best with COFE store, and have no doubts that the world will soon see them disrupt the coffee industry as they go,” he said.
The acquisition of Sippy and Kaffeen, followed by the launch of COFE Store Pur Gahwa product, are all in response to the growth of the home brewing segment. KPMG’s Coffee in 2021 report ‘Prepare for Takeoff’ compared May 2020 sales to January 2020 sales, showing a 20% increase in sales of coffee pods, a 19% increase in espresso capsules, 44% for traditional home brewing and a 74% increase in ready-to-drink coffee. The report also showed an 11% increase in the sale of consumer coffee equipment as consumers begin to understand their preferred way of making coffee and increase investment in the right products and equipment.
The startup also recently inked a deal with leading Colombian coffee producer and distributor Palmeto Inversiones. As part of the deal, Palmeto Inversiones will supply specialty Colombian coffee, further cementing the startup’s position as a one-stop-shop for all things related to coffee. The contract signing, which took place at the Colombian Pavilion of Expo 2020 Dubai, was attended by the Colombian Ambassador and the Governor of Bojacá.
About COFE
COFE App is an online coffee-centric marketplace conceptualised in Kuwait and developed in Silicon Valley, USA. A state-of-the-art application that provides quick access to a wide range of international coffee franchises and artisanal coffee brands through multiple premium services and features on one platform.
Founded by Ali Al-Ebrahim in November 2018, COFE App currently operates in Kuwait, KSA, UAE, Egypt and Turkey, with further international expansion in the pipeline. The platform, which placed among the top five start-ups in the tech innovation category at the London Coffee Shop Innovation Expo, has grown from strength to strength since its official launch in November 2018, and completed a Series-B funding round in April 2021, raising $10 million.
