The upcoming Speciality Food Festival 2015, a major B2B food show in Dubai, UAE  will crown the country’s best barista at the country’s first-ever National Cezve/Ibrik Championship.

The event is one of three B2B food shows running at Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) from October 27 to 29.

Owned and organised by the Speciality Coffee Association of Europe (SCAE), the National Cezve/Ibrik Championship will see the UAE’s best baristas prepare coffee using one of the oldest and most traditional methods, and in the region where it was first created.

With an independent panel of judges, the participants’ brews will be rated on criteria including taste, beverage presentation and technique. The winner of the National Cezve/ Ibrik Championship will represent the UAE when the World Cezve/Ibrik Championships are staged at Gulfood in February next year.

Commonly referred to as ‘Turkish coffee’, Cezve/Ibrik is the centuries-old art of brewing coffee in a small, long-handled pot. Ibrik is the preferred coffee-making method in many parts of the world including Eastern Europe and the Mena region.

“Cezve or Ibrik is such a traditional method of brewing in the UAE and we expect the National Cezve/Ibrik Championship at this year’s The Speciality Food Festival will generate tremendous interest throughout the UAE and around the Arab world,” said David Veal, SCAE’s executive director.

“Coffee is much more than just a beverage; for centuries, coffee has been an intrinsic part of life, not just in the UAE, but all over the world. This dedicated National Cezve/Ibrik Championship will return the coffee-making focus to traditional methods of preparation in what is now one of the world’s fastest-growing coffee markets,” Veal added.

Middle East coffee sales are contributing eight per cent of a global market worth the $85 billion in 2014 according to a Market Intelligence report by Euromonitor.

Annual increases of 2.5 per cent in the GCC region’s per capita income through to 2019 are expected to fuel regional demand for discretionary and high-priced food products such as organic food, cut-vegetables, ready-to-cook meals, marinated meat and flavoured milk according to the Alpen Capital GCC Food Industry 2015. The regional organic food market alone is estimated to reach $1.5 billion by 2018 – a 400 per cent increase on 2009.

Speciality Food Festival, the only event in the Middle East dedicated to gourmet professionals and global suppliers, is expected to attract more than 200 exhibitors from over 50 countries. The event  is already 95 per cent sold-out, according to event organisers.

“In-line with regional and global F&B demands, the sixth annual Speciality Food Festival will be bigger than ever in terms of floor space, exhibitors and visitors,” said Trixie LohMirmand, senior vice president, Exhibitions & Events Management, DWTC. “This year’s event will feature a raft of new national pavilions and a broad-range of international and local companies, including a significant stable of Europe's finest food companies from France, the UK, Spain, Portugal and Italy.”

The Speciality Food Festival is organised alongside Sweets and Snacks Middle East and Seafex. The three niche food shows are for trade and business professionals only. General public and persons under the age of 21 will not be permitted entry, a statement said.

Seafex Middle East which is the region’s biggest trade fair and sourcing platform for the international seafood industry.

Sweets & Snacks Middle East which is a dedicated platform for the international sweets, confectionery and snack industries across the Mena region, presented by Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) and Koelnmesse GmbH. – TradeArabia News Service