The International Coffee & Tea Festival (ICTF), the region’s only dedicated trade event for the specialty coffee and industry, recently concluded its 8th edition in Dubai, UAE registering a record footfall of over 7,000 trade visitors.

The event engaged with and educated café owners, hospitality management professionals, aspiring entrepreneurs, and tea and coffee enthusiasts about the latest brewing technology and café equipment, including mixers, grinders, brewers, and roasters.

Both visitors and exhibitors, commended ICTF as a niche event for those looking to venture into the coffee or tea business or those looking to enter the local market as suppliers for coffee shops and tea boutiques.

Sanoona Rahim, founder, Alsanono Food Stuff Trading LLC, said: “Our presence at this year’s edition of the International Coffee and Tea Festival marks our first ever participation as an exhibitor, having attended previous editions as a visitor for the last three years.

ICTF emerged as a niche event

“We have found this event as a strategic platform to launch niche products, which has prompted us to utilize our presence and showcase our authentic tea from Sri Lanka coming straight from the factory to consumers. We are highly satisfied with the key response that we have received at the show and want to leverage the event to promote our brand Embillian tea in the UAE’s growing beverage market.”

The Barista and Latte Art Championships fascinated visitors with highly interactive performances while the debuting Brewers Cup and Cup Tasters Championships were successful in drawing a huge crowd.

Anselm Godinho, managing director, International Conferences & Exhibitions, organisers of the ICTF said: “In the last eight years, the International Coffee and Tea Festival has grown in importance due to its unique and innovative features, including the B2B exhibition, the SCAA-certified coffee training, Brew Bar Presentation and Seminars, and the Championships.”

“We are delighted to host a successful show where we educate consumers so that they can appreciate and know the difference that specialty coffee would bring to their experience. The show has also offered opportunities to exhibitors to reach out to potential clients and make their mark in the region’s growing café culture,” he added.

ICTF will return in 2017 with more offering of fresh concepts and innovative products to cater to the growing specialty coffee and tea industry in the UAE and the region.