Expansion Overseas
Caffe Bene, a leading local coffee chain, announced that it has recently opened its fifth store in a large shopping mall in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia.
With a floor space of 190 square meters, the 85-seat shop is located in the Hayat Mall in the main street of Riyadh. Due to its location right around the corner of the elevator on the second floor of the mall, it has high visibility and accessibility. With a total area of 142,149 square meters, the Hayat Mall is a large shopping mall visited by 10 million people annually, and has been loved by local residents for a long time. Caffe Bene will compete with global food and beverage brands, such as Starbucks and Bread Talk, in the mall.
Considering Saudi Arabian consumers’ preference of sweet desserts, Caffe Bene is introducing various dessert menus. “Apple Cinnamon Honey Bread,” honey bread topped with a scoop of vanilla gelato and caramelized apple, and “Melting Island,” sweet bread topped with Lebanese cream cheese, are popular menus only available in Saudi Arabia. In addition, the company has decided to re-launch choco pan dessert, which was released in Korea in the winter of 2014, in the market this year as local consumers showed positive responses to the menu.
Meanwhile, Caffe Bene has become the nation’s first coffee franchise to receive halal food certification last year, winning a foothold to push into the Islamic culture industry and expand export systems. Halal certification is labeled on food that are permissible for Muslims to eat or drink under the Islamic law. Caffe Bene has been certified halal by the Department of Islamic Development Malaysia, or JAKIM.