Café culture at The Dubai Mall, Dubai, UAE | Photo credit: Mostafa Meraji 

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Organic food and snack distributor Wellness Nutrition Company (WNC) has announced it will begin opening brick-and-mortar cafés in Dubai to promote Spanish retail coffee brand, Saula Coffee.
 
In a press statement, WNC said the new café openings would complement ‘the dynamic Dubai coffee culture while promoting the Barcelona organic premium coffee brand.’
 
The Saula café menu will offer organic coffee alongside grab-and-go healthy food options, WNC added, stating its intention to scale the new café brand across the UAE.
 
“We aim to be the go-to destination for unique healthy snack concepts in the GCC region as we add additional sales channels while currently supplying major supermarket chains such as Carrefour, Union Co-Op, Starbucks, Emarat, Farmbox, Hampel’s, Dubai Organics, Organic Café, Dubai Garden Centers, Adnoc and a host of others,” said WNC Chairman Mohammad Al Hashmi .
 
WNC is a distributor of international food and beverage brands across UAE, holding exclusive distribution rights to brands including Fruit Bliss, Innofoods and Beanbag. The company operates via an online marketplace and also supplies supermarkets, hospitality chains, health clubs, hotels and restaurants across the UAE.
 
The UAE is one of the most developed coffee shop markets in the Middle East, with Dubai a focal point for the region’s coffee innovation. The city’s status as a global travel hub saw western chains gain a foothold in the country in the mid-1990s, with Dunkin’ Donuts making its debut in 1997, Costa Coffee arriving in 1999 and Starbucks opening in 2000.  
 
In August 2021, UAE-based coffee chain Coffee Planet opened its first café in partnership with DASH Hospitality Group in Dubai, amid rising demand for specialty coffee in the Middle East.