The UAE’s Roasters Specialty Coffee House to expand Dubai footprint

Roasters currently operates five outlets across Dubai and will open a sixth site at Dubai Harbour in May | Photo credit: Roasters

Boutique coffee group Roasters Specialty Coffee House has outlined plans to scale its presence in Dubai ahead of expansion across the UAE and wider Middle East. 
 

Founded in 2021, Roasters currently operates five outlets across the UAE. The specialty coffee roaster and café chain is seeking to open four further outlets in Dubai this year, starting with a store at Dubai Harbour in May 2024. 

Roasters, which promotes itself as a ‘luxury coffee lifestyle’ brand, is also seeking franchise partners to launch in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia and has mooted London, Paris, Monaco, Barcelona and Madrid as European cities of interest. 

The Dubai-based brand offers a range of single-origin coffees, including black coffees for AED 22 ($5.99), milk-based coffee beverages from AED 25 ($6.81), a Geisha Manual Brew range for AED 50 ($13.61) and a 24k Gold coffee menu from AED 62 ($16.88).  

Roasters’ packaged coffee retails between AED 300 ($81) and AED 800 ($217) and is sourced from 11 markets, including Brazil, Colombia, Panama and Yemen. 

With one of fastest growing economies and most developed premium retail footprints in the world, Dubai has become an increasingly attractive market for specialty coffee operators globally. 

Industry leaders surveyed in World Coffee Portal’s Project Café Middle East 2023 report cited the growth of specialty coffee as the most important consumer trend in the Middle East, considerably ahead of price consciousness and the growth of drive-thru and delivery channels. 

V3 Gourmet heritage brand Bacha Coffee, London-based specialty robusta chain Black Sheep Coffee, boutique US café group Ralph’s Coffee and luxury fashion-café tie up Café Kitsuné have all opened stores in the city within the last 12 months. 

In a further indication of Dubai’s growing significance as a specialty coffee hub, Japanese boutique coffee group % Arabica announced in April 2024 that it will open a global headquarters in the city before the end of the year.