DUBAI, UAE – Ryan Godinho, the Event Director of the International Coffee & Tea Festival (ICTF), has been appointed the regional point person and Education Partner of the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA) for the Emirates.
SCAA, the world’s largest coffee trade association, is globally acknowledged for its key contributions to the development of the specialty coffee markets worldwide and brings a wealth of knowledge to the regional industry.
Godinho commented: “It is with great enthusiasm that we entered into this partnership and work towards nurturing a close relationship with the SCAA.
Being a part of the largest Coffee association in the world, we look forward to providing the UAE with the most comprehensive list of coffee training courses and certification surpassing all that is available in the UAE in terms of content quality and delivery.
Through stringent instructor development and selection by the SCAA, all training modules conducted in the UAE will be led by some of the most respected industry-professionals.”
Coffee sales in the UAE are expected to reach AED 359 million (US$98 million) by 2016, growing at the rate of 4 per cent as per Euromonitor’s recent survey.
Ryan Godinho
On the other hand, according to the Dubai Tea Trading Centre, the current consumption of tea in the UAE is about 7 million kilograms per annum with an annual growth rate expected to surge up to 8 per cent by 2016.
With the coffee and tea industry experiencing an upward trend, Godinho’s appointment to his new role will progressively complement the robust growth of both commodities in the country.
Godinho added, “Our entire business activity with the International Coffee & Tea Festival and the SCAA has been mission-driven – to lead the region towards a better café experience.
The UAE’s coffee and tea markets are constantly evolving and it will not be long before we aid in leading the rest of the Middle East in developing its very own café trends that are primarinly based on quality.
This will have a huge impact on imports, re-exports, logistics, training and the entire coffee and tea chain, creating tremendous job and business opportunities for people. Being the second highest traded product in the commodities market worldwide, coffee production and consumption is the livelihood of many nations around the world.
The UAE is capable of establishing itself as a hub for serving more than 30 million consumers in the region.”
Godinho plays a vital role within the specialty coffee industry of the region. In association with the SCAA and World Coffee Events (WCE), an organizer of events for the global coffee community, he serves as the National Coordinator for the UAE for all National Coffee Championships that are licensed and sanctioned by WCE.
Under the banner of UAE Coffee Events, he manages a portfolio of seven industry-wide specialist coffee competitions that work towards developing coffee as a profession.
As a Certified Sensory, Technical and Visual Judge (2011-2014), Godinho serves on the judging panel of the UAE Barista and Latte Art Championships held alongside the International Coffee & Tea Festival each year.
The recent fifth edition of the International Coffee & Tea Festival was attended by over 6,000 industry visitors and was graced by a royal visit from the UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and the Crown Prince of Dubai, HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, accurately reflecting the UAE Administration’s support towards the region’s café landscape.
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