On 18 February, the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) inaugurated the DMCC Coffee Centre, a 7500-square-metre temperature-controlled facility.
The facility is the first of its kind in the Middle East.
“Today represents a significant milestone, and one that places Dubai firmly at the heart of the global coffee trade. First conceptualised in 2016, it is promising to see our vision to serve the market in an entirely different way become a reality,” saysAhmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman of DMCC.
“The DMCC Coffee Centre will connect international coffee traders with sophisticated logistics, and a host of value-add services, providing operational excellence to meet growing global demand.
“Until now, the region simply did not have the capacity, equipment or expertise to facilitate global coffee trade on this scale, and we look forward to seeing the impact of our Centre on the industry going forward.”
From crop to cup, the DMCC says the Coffee Centre offers cost-effective logistical support and services that connect producers to buyers. Core services include warehousing, green coffee cleaning, contract roasting and packing, as well as more specialised offerings for re-bagging of green coffee, sample evaluation and training.
The DMCC Coffee Centre houses a coffee quality laboratory, cupping labs and a Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) Premier Training Campus, in addition to a range of commercial office space.
Projected to handle up to 20,000 tonnes of green coffee bean annually – with an estimated annual trade value of around AED367 million ($140 million) – DMCC says the centre is set to attract new trade flows to Dubai and boost the national economy.
A number of senior delegates including H.E. Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, Group Chairman and CEO of DP World; H.E. Hamad Buamim, President and CEO Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry; H.E. Ahmed Mahboob Musabih, Director of Dubai Customs; H.E. Salem Rashid Al Owais, Ambassador of the UAE to Columbia; H.E. Eduardo Fonseca, Ambassador of Panama to the UAE; and H.E. Ridwan Hassan, Consul General of Indonesia to the UAE attended the official launch in Dubai, and joined a tour of the facility located adjacent to the DMCC Tea Centre in the Jebel Ali Free Zone.
DMCC says the global coffee industry is worth an estimated US$100 billion (about $140 billion), with the industry in the Middle East expected to climb to $6.2 billion by 2021, according to Euromonitor.
