BUSINESS

Coffee exhibition in Jeddah fuses aroma with music and history too

April 01, 2018

Fatima Muhammad



Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The four-day International Exhibition for Coffee and Chocolate Atmosphere at the Jeddah International Exhibition and Convention Center ends today (April 2, 2018). The exhibition provided a platform for young Saudis to explore opportunities in the sector since the exhibition has famous brands in the coffee and chocolate sectors. Youth were offered workshops that include both theoretical and practical sections on coffee and chocolate to be able to start their own brands. The exhibition also offered visitors a chance to inhale task various types of coffee and chocolate, listen to live music and explore the history of coffee.

Mohanad Talal attracted various visitors to his historical looking corner. Talal played Oud and sang to the public some of the famous Arab songs. He told Saudi Gazette that he serves the mood of the public by offering them music side by side with coffee which he said is a classic combination. Talal presents classical music and combined it to Hijazi, Arabic, and international music. “Music has no limits, it is a universal language. Some people from outside the country still enjoy what we present though it is local.”

Not far from Talal is Naif Arab, a graffiti artist who was busy mixing different shades of brown to draw an art piece inspired by coffee. Arab said he has participated in a number of international, regional and local exhibitions and events that highlight graffiti. Arab liked graffiti more than standard drawing which he used to practice since childhood. Along with his friends, they created a graffiti team to improve the reputation of graffiti, change how people view graffiti and take part in international events.

Visitors also got the chance to see a model of a coffee museum that tells the history of coffee and shows different international equipment used to produce and make coffee. Abdullah Al-Hajras the owner of the only Saudi specialized coffee museum brought along with him a number of his valuable items to the exhibition to tell the story of coffee.

Al-Hajras has the coffee equipment and tools that belong to different eras starting from the 5th century. He has collected his museum belongings from around the world to tell the global story of coffee. His coffee museum is based in Al-Ahsa and he aims to highlight to the hospitality of Saudi people through coffee, in addition, he would like to trace back the history of coffee worldwide.

Coffee is a flourishing business in the kingdom. The customs department noted in 2017 that Saudi Arabia has imported 58.7 thousand tons of coffee beans with a value of SR832.5 million, an increase of 18.9 percent in value compared to 2016. Meanwhile, the number of licenses issued to start coffee shop businesses in Jeddah has reached 400 new licenses, with an increase of about 30 percent in 2017 compared to the previous year.


April 01, 2018
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