• Championship welcomed over 430 competitors, with Waqar Al Hammadi being named the winner 

Dubai, UAE: DMCC – the world’s flagship Free Zone and Government of Dubai Authority on commodities trade and enterprise – gathered the country’s coffee community under one roof with the DMCC Coffee Centre hosting the 2022 UAE National Aeropress Championship from 3-5 October.

Organised by Mokha1450 Coffee Lounge, an Emirati coffee chain, in conjunction with the World Aeropress Championships, the UAE Aeropress Championship is the largest coffee competition in the region. The sixth edition of the competition was attended for the first time by Tim Williams, the creator of the World Aeropress Championship and a coffee industry luminary.

With hundreds of coffee enthusiasts amongst the audience and just over 430 participants, the championship welcomed competitors from the Northern Emirates (Ras Al Khaimah, Umm Al Quwain, Ajman, and Fujairah) on its first day and competitors from the Southern Emirates (Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah) on the second day. The final national round shortlisted 21 competitors the top three from each Emirate. The winner, Waqar Al Hammadi, will travel to Vancouver, Canada to participate in the World Aeropress Championships in December.

The overarching goal of the championship is to provide participants with the opportunity to practice, enhance and measure their skills against other baristas. With Dubai now positioned as a global gateway for the global coffee trade, the competition serves as a platform for connecting a wide range of stakeholders within the coffee community from coffee farmers, roasters, and café owners, to exporters, traders, and retailers creating many business opportunities across the industry.

The state-of-the-art 7,500m² temperature controlled DMCC Coffee Centre continues to attract, facilitate and drive global coffee trade. From crop to cup, the Centre offers cost-effective logistical support as well as world-leading infrastructure and services that connect the fast-growing consumer markets to major coffee-producing nations. The Centre in fact has witnessed a strong growth in volume and increase in member businesses over the past months further supporting the status of Dubai as a central hub for the entire coffee industry.