The store will also sell a new at home range, which features a selection of coffee beans, drip bags and brewing kits | Photo credit: Encounter Coffee

EATX has launched the first coffee shop under its Encounter Coffee Roasters brand, a flagship store in Dubai's Mall of the Emirates simply known as Encounter Coffee.

Launched in 2016 by Bull & Roo, which rebranded as EATX Hospitality in 2021, Encounter Coffee Roasters supplies coffee to the group's seven artisan F&B operators, including food and coffee café Tom & Serg, coffee roastery and bakery The Sum of Us, specialty coffee shop Common Grounds and restaurant chain Harvest & Co. 

Encounter's store will also sell a range of at-home specialty coffee products, including coffee beans, drip bags and brewing kits, with EATX indicating it will open further Encounter Coffee kiosk-format locations in the future.

“Encounter Coffee joins the dots with what we believe in at EatX, which is quality of product and education of food and coffee culture. Mall of Emirates holds a special place in our heart as it was the first location of the beloved Common Grounds venue and we look forward to our long-standing relationship with Majid Al Futtaim in the years to come,” said Tom Arnel, Managing Director, EATX Hospitality. 

The UAE, and Dubai in particular, has become a magnet for both domestic international coffee chains seeking to harness strong demand for aspirational hospitality concepts.
 

In August 2021 UAE-based specialty coffee roaster and café chain Coffee Planet opened its first coffee shop in Dubai with franchise partner DASH Hospitality Group, and now operates three stores in the city.

In January 2022, boutique coffee group EL&N opened its first store in Dubai and highlighted the city as its most requested international location. 

Meanwhile, Danish coffee and juice chain Joe & The Juice has announced it will open three sites in Dubai in August 2022, the first of ten planned to open in the UAE by the end of 2023.