CE-Creates, the internal venture building platform for Crescent Enterprises, announced today that Kava & Chai, the UAE’s home-grown specialty coffeehouse, has opened three additional locations in Dubai.
The new outlets are situated in Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC), the Mall of the Emirates, and at Tamani Arts Tower in Business Bay, and feature unique interiors designed by specialist consultant 4Space. The new sites add to Kava & Chai’s existing locations in Al Seef and the American University of Sharjah.
Kava & Chai is a home-grown, global coffeehouse that seeks to celebrate and revive Arab traditions and tastes, bringing people together in an intimate setting to socialise, exchange ideas, and enjoy cultural experiences. Coffeehouses have historically been associated with great ideas and shared experiences, and the original coffeehouses in Constantinople, Cairo, and Mecca hosted preachers and poets, politicians and storytellers.
Samer Choucair, Director, CE-Creates, said: “Our region has long been a heavy consumer of imported brands and a disproportionately light exporter of brands. With Kava & Chai, we intend to reverse that trend, by leveraging the Arab world’s cafe culture and history, which stands for hospitality and communion and dates back 600 years, to positively position the region to the rest of the world. The coffee itself may not be Arabic, but the culture is – and that’s what we want to showcase to the world. Our aim over the coming months is to refine the Kava & Chai brand by growing across the UAE, which really is a melting pot of most of the world’s cultures, before expanding into international markets, where we can proudly showcase our culture to a global audience.”
Sustainable development is also central to Kava & Chai, with everything from packaging to uniforms being sourced responsibly, made from renewable and recycled materials. Kava & Chai only considers environmentally certified suppliers and all coffee procured is direct trade – purchased by coffee roasters directly from growers.
Saad Abdallah, General Manager, Kava & Chai, said: “Coffee roasting and drinking as we know it today originated here in the Middle East, and Kava & Chai is committed to portraying this history and culture in a positive and inspiring way. These new locations will become part of the local community, a meeting place where people can engage with each other, share inspiration and enjoy cultural experiences.”
Kava & Chai aims to continue the cultural tradition and support the local art community, with local artists contributing to murals in the coffeehouse locations, designing festive cups, and participating in events in-store. Kava & Chai brings a mix of traditional flavours and unexpected combinations to the coffeehouse experience, making original concoctions with authentic roots.
