WOC Dubai 2026 marked innovations and evolution in ME coffee

The 5th annual World of Coffee Dubai concluded on 21 January, and the show continues to be one where business, not just networking, is conducted on the show floor. In the previous editions, the show was scheduled to close at 16:00/4:00pm on the final day, only to have the organisers (DXB LIVE, the integrated event management and experiential agency of Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC), in collaboration with the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) announce that the hours were being extended until 18:00/6:00pm. This year the later closing was listed on the schedule — and the show floor remained busy until the 2026 show officially closed.

Organisers announced that the opening day saw a 30 percent increase in visitor attendance over the 2025 show, featuring coffee professionals from more than 80 countries attended WOC Dubai 2026 (18-21 January). There was, of course, a heavy presence from the UAE (aside from Dubai), Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, and Kuwait, in terms of an increase in the number of exhibitors and expanded booths.

Several Memorandums of Understanding were signed during this year’s edition, such as the SCA and DXB LIVE extending their partnership to organise WOC Dubai for five more years, through 2031. Another MOU was signed creating a three-year partnership to organise the Bahrain Coffee Festival between DXB LIVE, the Bahrain Tourism and Exhibitions Authority (BTEA), and Exhibition World Bahrain (EWB). The opening day also saw the signing of a five-year partnership agreement between World of Coffee Dubai and the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA), extending the collaboration through 2031. DXB LIVE also announced plans to expand its coffee-focused event portfolio through new coffee festivals in Qatar, Oman, and Saudi Arabia.

This year’s show, which took place again at the Dubai World Trade Centre, also offered varied auctions organised by DXB LIVE in collaboration with DMCC and curated with M-Cultivo, including an auction showcasing specialised and customised coffee equipment from exhibitors at WOC Dubai on the opening day, a microlot coffee auction on the second day, and an exhibitors’ coffee auction on the final day. The highest bid during the microlot coffee auction was recorded at USD $3,075 per kg (more than AED 13,000) for a Natural Geisha.

Many exhibitors displayed innovative flavour combinations in coffee (well beyond the Dubai chocolate lattes and Dubai chocolate matcha lattes that are now available worldwide) at their booths. Perhaps the most fascinating offerings came from Oatly, which collaborated with Yaba, a modern Iraqi restaurant based in Al Wasl, to introduce a new approach to coffee beverage creations by applying culinary steeping techniques to extract flavour, alongside distinctive elements such as nut crème and saffron-infused bubbles, which topped the Salted Egg Custard Latte (pictured above). The ‘Orangeeno’ featured a base of sous vide-prepared coffee, followed by a layer of orange molasses, vanilla maple cream, grated nutmeg, and dry orange.

Evidencing the change in consumer behaviour in terms of at-home consumption, Swiss brand Coffee B, which markets fully compostable coffee balls, exhibited at the first time, marking its entrance into the MENA market.

The 6th World of Coffee Dubai will take place 26-28 January 2027.