JEDDAH, 10 June 2004 — A blind man could barely have failed to notice the boom in international and local coffee houses emerging throughout the Kingdom — the smell of freshly brewed coffee is now all around.
The high level of coffee consumption is largely due to the high proportion of young people in the Kingdom, who make up 60 percent of the Saudi population. It has attracted the interest of many famous international coffee house chains, such as Starbucks, Joffery’s and Barnie’s, who have found their way into the Saudi market, apparently realizing that people here do not mind spending a few extra bucks for the best varieties of international coffee.
The coffee business is reportedly worth around SR5 billion, with over 700 coffee shops spread throughout the Kingdom, particularly in the major cities.
Adnan Bastawi, a coffee shop manager in Jeddah, said tea and coffee had long been popular among Saudis, but a proliferation of exotic coffee varieties was drawing a new, young clientele.
“Nowadays there are many choices available for our customers to choose from, such as cappuccino, latte, mochachino with chocolate or caramel, and iced coffee,” he said.
Bowing to popular demand, most of the international coffee houses have also introduced traditional Arabian Coffee, or “gahwa”.
Hanging out with the guys, drinking all these wonderful varieties of coffee, watching TV and smoking shisha are all part of the new coffee culture.
“It is about more than just drinking coffee, it is an escape for us. It’s really hard to find decent places for us to pass the time of day since most entertainment areas here are restricted to families only,” said one young man.
While enjoying the taste of their favorite coffee, there are other attractions to be found at a coffee shop. “Coffee bars are becoming more and more popular as places where we can talk, discuss the latest issues, watch football matches and smoke shisha,” he noted.
Families also turn up at these coffee shops at all hours of the night, and the laidback atmosphere is attracting an increasing number of women, out to relax in much the same way as their male counterparts.
