Necessity is the mother of invention. Saudi woman Latifah Al-Waalan’s need to have a cup of delicious Arabic coffee with minimum effort led her to invent an electronic kettle called “Yatooq” the Arabic coffeemaker.
The machine makes coffee in only seven minutes. The invention came after a long process of research and experiments and is now drawing Arabic coffee lovers from around the world.
In a conversation with Arab News, Al-Waalan talks about her ambition and how she made her dream come true.
Tell us about the project.
We love Arabic coffee, but unfortunately only few can prepare it perfectly. We succeed one time and fail ten times. So I worked on finding the reason behind this problem and look out for answers to the hidden secrets of Arabic coffee. Whether it is the coffee itself, other ingredients, the heating temperature or the time it needs to be done, all these questions and others were the spark that helped me start this project.
The first step was making small samples of coffee blends with different flavors like cardamom, saffron, ginger and cloves so the client can have an excellent Arabic coffee each time. The simplified directions can help anyone prepare it easily. The response was good. However, I moved to the US to obtain my Masters Degree in Management of Technology in University of Washington and there I started marketing my products to other students through my website.
Did you pursue your dream in the US?
Maybe it was my sheer luck that I lived in a city that is called the capital of coffee. It encouraged me to pursue my hunt for coffee machines that I could use to make Arabic coffee, and at some point my apartment became an experiment lab. However, we didn’t find a machine to resolve the issue. So we decided to invent an Arabic coffeemaker instead of looking for an existing one.
We had several meetings with American companies to pitch the idea of making a machine that specializes in Arabic coffee.
Did you face any difficulties?
Our team faced a lot of obstacles and we had reached a point where we wanted to give up.
I was advised by several academics at the university not to work on this project, knowing that it is difficult. But we did not care and we continued, though we initially encountered losses, especially because we did not have any expertise in manufacturing, investment, marketing, management, etc. That forced me to learn the fundamentals of these sciences and use an expert’s help.
Who helped you in making this dream come true?
I had decided to go professional after coming back to Saudi Arabia. I presented the project to Baader program at King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology who adopted the project and provided support and advice from investors and engineers. They helped us make our dream come true and named it “Yatooq” the Arabic coffeemaker.
What is the mechanism of the electronic kettle?
The machine has an electronic processor that controls the circulation; it does not need any intervention.
All you need to do is to pour water and add coffee, then choose the program and the duration, press the Power button and the countdown begins until if finishes preparing the coffee at the specified time. You can have your coffee in only seven minutes.
How has the response been?
The feedback was positive. The product has succeeded in the Saudi market and has impressed all Arabic coffee lovers around the world because we helped resolve issues that most people face. Many of Yatooq kettle users informed me that they have nothing to worry about regarding preparing Arabic coffee anymore.
How much does the kettle cost and where can one buy it from?
The Yatooq electronic kettle costs SR399. Costumers can get it from our website www.yatooq.com or from Danube supermarkets.
Whom would you dedicate the success of Yatooq to?
I dedicate it to Yatooq’s team and everyone who participated in it, my family, friends, companies and whoever contributed directly or indirectly.
What are your dreams and aspirations?
Our patience resulted in something good. My happiness cannot be described. However, I still face challenges in order to continue, preserve the quality and in understanding the market.
Did Yatooq contribute in offering jobs to Saudi women?
Presently, I have five female employees. We are still in the starting phase.
What is your message for Saudi women who have ideas and are ambitious?
If a person loses confidence, it is hard for her to succeed. So confidence in our capabilities is the first step toward success.
Email: [email protected]
