HN'S COFFEE INDUSTRY LANDSCAPE

Experts weigh in on trends that are impacting your cup

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Brewing coffee at cooler temperatures is on trend. The cold brew craze has set the landscape for the evolution of draft lattes, nitro brew and bottled cold drip in the region.

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The increase of home-grown specialty roasters is worth noting. Homage must also be paid to the barista community, growing stronger and more detailoriented over the last two years.

Over the last few years, independents have also been on the rise, appealing to a wider local clientele, especially among neighborhood coffee houses and café roasters.

Replicating the latest overseas trends here, just does not hold up financially as setting up out here is not cheap. This has led to a domination of franchise café brands.

Independent cafés are changing the landscape of the culinary scene. Much more than just chefs, it seems that great beverages seem to pair with innovative eats.

3. 4. 5. Giacomo Biviano

Deputy Director illy

Capsules and pods

The most important thing to highlight is the consolidation of the growth trend in portioned systems throughout the entire MENA area. In detail, the North Africa area is oriented towards easy serving espresso (ESE) pods, whereas in the Middle East area, particularly in countries like Saudi Arabia, and on both professional and home levels, environment sales are dominated by Iperespresso capsules. It is also worth noting that the first micro roasters, in the purely European sense of the term, are beginning to appear here, alongside the consolidated presence of local roasters.

Saudi Arabia: Number one consumption

Saudi Arabia has the highest coffee consumption in the MENA region. Preferences are oriented towards coffees that envisage the use of milk, which above all means cappuccinos.

The future

Although it is true that consumption trends are on the rise, political instability in the area means that it is difficult to make predictions. For illycaffè, the MENA area is a major tourism region, which means it has great sales potential. When the current critical political and religious issues are resolved, we expect a major recovery in tourism and, in consequence, in coffee consumption too.