Key Highlights
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Record-Breaking Participation: A record 76 producers are confirmed for the 2026 edition, marking the largest origin participation in the event’s history.
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Most Diverse International Line-Up: Eight national pavilions will headline the most internationally diverse World of Coffee Dubai to date, including first-time participation from Kenya and Peru.
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Export Growth Momentum: The announcement follows strong export performance, with Kenya’s coffee export volumes rising by 12% and Ethiopia generating USD 2.65 billion in revenue, reflecting strengthening Middle Eastern demand.
Dubai – Qahwa World
World of Coffee Dubai 2026 is set to deliver its most diverse and internationally representative edition to date, welcoming an expanded roster of origins, national pavilions, and producer organisations from across Africa, Latin America, and Asia.
Taking place from 18–20 January 2026 at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), the fifth edition—organised by DXB LIVE, DWTC’s integrated event management and experiential agency, in collaboration with the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)—reinforces Dubai’s position as the MENA region’s leading specialty coffee hub.
The 2026 event will host eight national pavilions, including Ethiopia, India, Saudi Arabia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Panama, and Brazil, with Kenya and Peru joining the show for the first time. Returning origins such as Colombia, Guatemala, Indonesia, Mexico, and Rwanda will also participate with strengthened delegations, underscoring the event’s reputation as one of the world’s most comprehensive showcases of global coffee origins.
Record Producer Engagement and Direct Trade Focus
This year’s edition will welcome more than 76 producers, the highest number in the event’s history, reflecting the growing importance of Middle Eastern markets in shaping global coffee trade.
The Producers Village, a dedicated meeting hub where farmers, buyers, roasters, and importers connect directly, will feature 14 curated spaces highlighting a wide range of terroirs, processing methods, and farm-level perspectives from across the coffee belt. Several of these producers will also be featured in three daily coffee auctions, offering buyers access to rare micro-lots, experimental processes, and distinctive coffees not previously available in the region.
Complementing this strong producer presence, the exhibition will also welcome participation from leading national coffee boards and export bodies, including:
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Associação Brasileira de Cafés Especiais
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Instituto del Café de Costa Rica
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Specialty Coffee Association of Panama
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PROMPERÚ
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Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority
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Kenya Coffee Directorate
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Saudi Coffee Company
Their involvement further enriches the show’s depth of origin representation and reflects growing global interest in the GCC’s specialty coffee landscape.
Middle East Demand Reshaping Global Export Trends
Across several producing nations, recent export trends show increasing alignment with Middle Eastern buyer preferences.
Kenya recorded a 12% rise in coffee export volumes in 2024, one of its strongest-performing seasons in recent years, with exporters reporting increased demand from Gulf-based roasters for both washed and naturally processed Kenyan coffees.
Ethiopia, Africa’s largest coffee producer, generated USD 2.65 billion (approximately AED 10 billion) in coffee export revenues during the 2024/2025 fiscal year, driven by growing demand for naturally processed and honey-processed coffees in both the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Across Africa, coffee export volumes increased by 8% year-on-year in late 2024, reflecting broader international momentum behind the continent’s specialty-grade offerings.
These developments mirror the maturation of the region’s specialty coffee ecosystem, where roasters are increasingly embracing lighter roasting styles, seasonal single origins, and fermentation-led flavour profiles. This evolution has encouraged producers to prioritise Dubai as a long-term entry point into the Middle East, reinforcing the event’s role as a strategic platform where relationships, discovery, and direct trade meaningfully intersect.
Industry Perspectives
Shouq Bin Redha, Exhibition Manager of World of Coffee Dubai, said: “The scale and diversity of origin participation this year reflects a fundamental shift in the global coffee movement. Producers are no longer viewing the Middle East as a peripheral market; they are actively shaping their export strategies around it. The presence of first-time pavilions from Kenya and Peru, alongside expanded delegations from long-established origins, demonstrates how Dubai has become a true crossroads for global coffee trade—where quality, sourcing strategy, and business opportunity converge.”
Khalid Al Mulla, CEO of the Speciality Coffee Association UAE Chapter, added: “The specialty coffee community in the region has grown more sophisticated, more curious, and far more quality-driven. Roasters are seeking meaningful, long-term relationships with origin, while consumers are looking for diversity in flavour and story. Producers are responding with a level of engagement and investment we have never seen before. World of Coffee Dubai 2026 captures this moment, where global origin culture and regional demand are aligning in ways that are reshaping the future of the specialty coffee market across the Middle East.”
With strengthened origin representation, a record number of producers, and rising interest from both heritage and emerging producing regions, World of Coffee Dubai 2026 stands as a defining edition in the Middle East’s growing influence on the global specialty coffee landscape. The event continues to advance a more interconnected future for producers, buyers, and roasters across the value chain, reinforcing Dubai’s position as one of the world’s most significant destinations for specialty coffee.
Exhibitors can now secure their spaces for World of Coffee Dubai 2026, while early bird tickets for visitors are available through the official website.
About World of Coffee Dubai
World of Coffee Dubai (WOC Dubai) is the region’s premier coffee trade show, serving exhibitors and visitors seeking to engage with the Middle East’s rapidly growing coffee industry. The event features flagship attractions such as the Roaster Village, Cupping Room, SCA UAE National Championships, and Producers Village, bringing together producers, roasters, importers, coffee shops, hotels, and industry professionals from around the world.
About the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA)
The Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) is the world’s largest nonprofit, membership-based trade association for the coffee industry. Representing thousands of professionals globally, the SCA works to foster a thriving, equitable, and sustainable specialty coffee sector through collaboration, education, and innovation across the entire value chain.
About DXB LIVE
DXB LIVE is the integrated event management and experiential agency of Dubai World Trade Centre. Leveraging its creative, technical, and operational expertise, DXB LIVE delivers world-class exhibitions, conferences, festivals, and major corporate events, providing services for more than 100 major events annually and reinforcing its position among the world’s leading event companies
