COFE: Digitising the coffee experience from bean to cup

COFE: Digitising the coffee experience from bean to cup

There has been an increased shift towards customisation and convenience over the past few years which has resulted in a rise in vertical marketplaces, those that focus on selling or showcasing one type of product. The coffee industry became the target of several startups in the GCC, all looking to push e-commerce into the sector’s long tail. The biggest among them is Kuwait-based COFE app, an online marketplace, and on-demand coffee delivery app.

"The coffee industry has long been fragmented despite being one of the fastest growing globally and in the Middle East and North Africa region. On a global level, it is a market worth $500 billion and the commodity itself is the second largest traded after oil,” says Ali Al Ebrahim, founder and CEO of COFE.

More than two billion cups of coffee are consumed worldwide every day. Al Ebrahim points out the value of the commodity by highlighting Coca-Cola’s $4.9 billion acquisition of Costa Coffee and Nestle’s $7 billion acquisition of Starbucks. 

“In the region, the coffee market is estimated to be valued at $44 billion and keeps expanding in terms of local brands and global franchises," he says. “Coffee is of long-standing cultural and historical