H.H. Saeed Humaid Al-Tayer, Chairman and CEO of Meydan Group, inaugurated yesterday the International Coffee & Tea Festival (ICTF), the region’s most sought after event for the specialty coffee and tea industry, at the Meydan Gallery & Convention Centre in Dubai, UAE.
The show, which runs until November 13, 2015, has already reached a count of over 1,000 pre-registered visitors from the region, largely from Saudi Arabia. Additionally, more than 100 tea importers are expected to visit the show over the next three days.
The inaugural day saw the launch of a special seminar titled ‘Coffee & Tea in Business’ which has proven to be a much sought after feature at the show. The presentations were bespoke for aspiring entrepreneurs and existing café owners who are interested to take their business to the next level.
Another definite crowd puller at ICTF 2015, is the UAE National Coffee Championships, which is extremely popular with all the professionals working in the industry, and features the Barista, Latte Art, and Cup Tasters Championships. Professional baristas will entice judges as well as visitors alike with their excellent skills, fine craftsmanship, and art of coffee-making.
Anselm Godinho, who heads the ICTF’s organising team, said: “The enthusiasm for the coffee and tea industry has been riding high and is reflected by the tremendous response received from both visitors and exhibitors on the opening day of ICTF 2015.
Our newly launched ‘Coffee and Tea in Business’ focus became an instant hit among cafe operators and owners as well as aspiring entrepreneurs as it addressed niche topics pertinent to the growth of cafes and the coffee and tea industry in general.
We are upbeat that the festival will continue to offer beneficial insights, bring value to the industry in the UAE and the region, and instigate plans for future growth.”
Olga Mirtova, Marketing Manager, La Marquise International, said, “La Marquise is happy to return once again to the International Coffee and Tea Festival.
We love the show and have been participating since its first edition in 2009. We believe that the ICTF is a good platform to meet all coffee and tea professionals from the Middle East and beyond.
The international coffee commodity is growing Year-on-Year and has demonstrated a continuing interest to the coffee business worldwide. Thank you to the ICTF organizers for their consistent efforts to bring the coffee community together here in the Middle East.”
The Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA)-certified Coffee Training Programs were much in demand on the opening day and are fully booked for the entire duration of the event.
Workshops on topics such as Coffee Preparation, Coffee Grading, and Coffee Roasting will be held until November 13, 2015.
ICTF is supported by SCAA and World Coffee Events (WCE).
