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F&B
CAFÉ YOUNES: THE LEBANESE HOMEGROWN CONCEPT MAKING NOISE ON THE MIDDLE EAST’S COFFEE SCENE You’ve recently opened a branch in El Gouna. Why did you set your sights on Egypt and what has been the market response?
The sensory coffee experience delivered by Café Younes, a Lebanese family-run business, has without a doubt contributed to its success in Egypt and UAE. Here, Amin Younes, the mastermind behind the renowned brand, shares some exciting news about the firm’s regional footprint and why Café Younes is the name on everyone’s lips.
Café Younes already began its regional expansion with Black Coffee by Café Younes in Dubai. Egypt was the natural choice after Dubai, as it is the most populated country in the Middle East, and our market search and discussions with our partners reaffirmed our belief that the specialty coffee scene there is growing both exponentially and rapidly. Egyptians have always been coffee lovers, but specialty coffee and the craftsmanship behind it are witnessing greater appreciation today, especially among the younger generations. Against this backdrop, with the inception of Daily Dose by Cafe Younes, we took a conscious decision to fill the biggest gap, which is in El Gouna; it has now become an all-year destination that caters to foreigners and locals alike.
Are you considering any additional franchises? Café Younes has grown from one coffee roaster in Lebanon in 1935 to a brand with 13 locations in three countries. It is already attracting potential investors that are specifically choosing Café Younes for
PRET A MANGER OPENS ITS FIRST SHOP IN KUWAIT WITH FRANCHISE PARTNER ONE PM
British food and coffee giant Pret A Manger has partnered with Kuwait-based franchise group One PM Franchising to open a flagship shop in the heart of Kuwait City, at Al Hamra Tower. The launch marks a major milestone in the brand’s expansion in the Middle East.
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HOSPITALITY NEWS ME | DEC 2022-JAN 2023
A number of high-profile guests were present at the ribbon-cutting event, including: H.E. Belinda Lewis, the British Ambassador to Kuwait; Pano Christou, CEO of Pret A Manger; Eira Jarvis, managing director of Pret A Manger Asia; and Hamad Al-Sayer, Chairman of One PM Franchising.
its heritage, premium coffee and unique atmosphere that blends authentic charm with a contemporary setting, while vividly bringing back the memory of old Beirut. Europe’s specialty coffee shop franchise market is becoming sizeable. Whether in Germany, France, Portugal, Greece, the UK, Netherlands or untapped regions brimming with possibilities, Café Younes is seriously looking to export its franchise, highly scalable and unique concept to enable coffee aficionados to experience something completely new.
What can Café Younes’ clients in Lebanon and the UAE look forward to? In Lebanon, we’ve recently launched our e-commerce platform, allowing customers the freedom to choose from more than 10 specialty coffees on three continents. The freshly roasted Costa Rica, Guatemala and Marjeiouni blends are a click away! As for our plans in the Emirates, building on the success of our Black Coffee by Café Younes flagship store on Sheikh Zayed Road in Dubai and ensuing strong brand loyalty, we have decided to open a second store in the heart of Dubai’s Media City. The opening is planned for December 2022. cafeyounes.com
Christou stated: “We’re excited to be opening our first shop in Kuwait with our new franchise partner, One PM. We have ambitious plans to bring our freshly made food and organic coffee to more people across the world and we’re pleased to be growing Pret’s presence in the Middle East. We’re looking forward to working more closely with the One PM team, and we can’t wait for customers to visit our shops to try our high quality and great tasting food.” Pret Kuwait is set to build on Pret’s long-standing commitment to helping those in need and give back to the local community through the work of The Pret Foundation. The brand has partnered with Refood, the first non-profit company dedicated to reducing waste in Kuwait’s food and consumer goods sector, to donate unsold food to those in need and reduce food waste. Kuwait’s opening is part of Pret’s ambitious plan to double the size of its business in the next five years. It follows recent international openings in Canada and Ireland, with further branches slated for India, Spain and Portugal. pret.co.uk
