According to health experts, the pandemic has had a considerable influence on the type of tea and coffee that individuals consume. Tea and coffee specialists stated in a panel discussion at the Organic Industry Conference, which was part of the Organic & Natural Products Expo, that specialty and organic tea and coffee are on the increase.
“The business dynamic has shifted in the previous two years. People’s lifestyles have changed, and they are more health-conscious and lead better lives,” said Mohamed Tafseer, Head of Commercial and Business Development at Baqer Mohebi Enterprises, which distributes Twinings tea.
According to him, a subcategory focusing on green tea and herbal infusions has more than quadrupled and tripled in size. “There is a new manner of purchasing, and consumers are buying items even if they are more expensive. “They want to pay more for their health,” he added, adding that this is true despite the financial challenges brought on by the epidemic, including as income cutbacks and job losses. “It’s a category that is expanding not only in the UAE, but also in Oman and Qatar.”
According to Vivek Hans, CEO of Bevarabia, there has been an acceleration in the adoption of organic coffee. “When sourcing organic coffee, the entire supply chain must be organic,” he explained. More and more restaurants and cafés are trying to include organic coffee to their menus, particularly those with a backstory. “If you have a narrative to tell, people are prepared to pay a premium,” he remarked.
He gave the example of a Saudi restaurant that wants to travel to a farm, choose the coffee, package it their way, and then brand it. “This might be a marketing exercise, but it also reflects the brand concept and what the restaurant believes in. It all comes down to connecting with the audience.”
The narrative behind the coffee was something that Syed Naveed, Blogger, The Need for Coffee, didn’t focus on when he began becoming enthusiastic about coffee. “I had no idea what the process was, where it came from, or who grew it. “The complexities of the sector captivated me over time,” he remarked.
Today, he considers several sources and believes that “the higher the height, the better.” He went on to say that many roasteries nowadays focus on the farmer’s narrative and include customers in the process. According to Syed, most cafés nowadays are ‘Instagrammable,’ with only a handful focusing on the quality of the coffee, which draws consumers back again and again. “These are the ones in which the owners have a personal stake. “They communicate to customers and try to improve things,” he said.
Syed went on to say that the specialty coffee sector depends on direct commerce with farmers since importers know precisely what clients want – and they can communicate to farmers in the origin to fine-tune the process to obtain exactly what they want.
“Transparency is essential. The importer exchanges information with the farmer and then provides customer feedback. “This is critical for both consumers and farmers,” he explained.
From January to September 2022, the UAE imported 28.58 million kg of tea from India, a 159% increase over the same nine-month period in 2021. to decipher the art of a.
Historic roadway. The UAE is a major re-exporter of tea, accounting for a significant portion of the global market.
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