Coffee Centre to open in 2018

dubai — Dubai Multi-Commodities Centre (DMCC) on Sunday said it had begun work on new 7,500sqm Coffee Centre near Jebel Ali Port harbour.

The temperature-controlled facility will offer storage, processing, warehousing and delivery services of coffee. Due to open in 2018, it is projected to handle up to 20,000 tonnes of green coffee bean annually, with an estimated trade value of up to $100 million (Dh367 million) annually.

“Once ready in 2018, we will be the first in the UAE with the capac- ity to handle up to 20,000 tonnes of green coffee bean at a value of up to $100 million annually,” said Ahmed bin Sulayem, executive chairman, DMCC. The ground-breaking ceremony was attended by China’s Mega Capital Halal (MCH) and Yunnan State Farms Group.

A report recently released by the International Coffee Organization confirmed that global exports in coffee year 2016-17 increased by 4.8 per cent to 122.45 million bags compared to 116.89 million bags in the previous year.

The UAE sits at the centre of a region which now accounts for 8 per cent or the trade, or $6.5 billion of the $85 billion global consumer spend on coffee. According to Euromonitor International, this could increase by up to a third by 2030.

“Dubai is a key international gateway for trade as it connects the producing countries with the consumer as seamless as possible,” said Matthew Pang, director, Mega Capital Halal. — waheedabbas@khaleejtimes.com