The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre, or DMCC, is a leading global business district that enables trade to and through Dubai. Over 24,000 companies have handpicked DMCC as the place to grow their business. This is because they realise the opportunities and value of being based in Dubai and by choosing DMCC. “We provide dedicated ecosystems for a range of strategic and high-growth areas. This includes our suite of commodities including coffee, tea, energy, gold and diamonds, as well as high-value services in technologies such as crypto, gaming, AI, and e-commerce. This allows like-minded businesses across our community to connect with their peers, tap into talent, and collaborate on opportunities,” shared Saeed Al Suwaidi, Director - Agri Commodities, DMCC.

Because of all of this, they have become a major facilitator of foreign direct investment (FDI) and account for approximately 11% of all FDI to Dubai. DMCC has also been recognised as 'Global Free Zone of the Year' for nine consecutive years by the Financial Times' FDI Magazine. Excerpts from the interview: 

What’s your plan expanding the soft commodity portfolio in Dubai and other regions?

DMCC is actively advancing agricultural commodities trade, focused on bolstering ties between the UAE and key producing markets. We do this through our agri ecosystem, which serves as a gateway for trade and spans a diverse portfolio, which is championed by our work in coffee and tea. 

We are always looking to increase our global network, including through collaborations with strategic industry partners. This is the case in South Asia, where we have partnered with Bharat Subcontinent Agri Foundation to deepen knowledge and trade in agri commodities with South Asia, whilst we are also part of the United Planters Association of Southern India (UPASI) annual gathering promoting greater development for farmers in south India whilst deepening the trade, commercial and industry ties between our two regions as we seek to build a more robust relationship with Indian farmers and coops. 

Looking at last year, the DMCC Coffee Centre processed 7,330 metric tonnes of green coffee, in addition to significantly strengthening our coffee roasting, packing and distribution across the world, thereby facilitating trade for key markets in Central and South America, Asia and Africa. Meanwhile, the DMCC Tea Centre handled 32,000 metric tonnes of tea in 2023.

Any plan entering the Indian market?

India is undoubtedly a key strategic market for DMCC and has been since our inception. DMCC is currently home to nearly 3,900 Indian companies – over 16% of our member base – that operate across a multitude of sectors and industries. We are confident this number will keep growing given the huge growth in bilateral trade envisaged under the UAE-India trade deal signed in 2022 which reached USD 50 billion in non-oil trade in the first 12 months since its launch and is on target to reach its objective of USD 100 billion by 2030.

Over the years, we have also conducted many roadshows to India, including one last year which took in the cities of Mumbai, Surat and Jaipur, and which saw the opening of our dedicated representative office to provide a one-stop solution for Indian businesses looking to expand in Dubai and drive the next phase of DMCC’s FDI from India. As we look to the next phase of DMCC’s growth, we see India remaining very much a key part of that journey. 

How do you see the growth of coffee and tea business in the country?

The UAE aims to become a global leader in coffee and tea, offering a business-friendly environment and attracting traders, which will contribute to the growth of both markets. DMCC plays an important role in this growth story through its dedicated ecosystems, namely the Tea Centre and Coffee Centre. At their core, they address a key need in the market for cost-effective, comprehensive, and efficient trade hubs. 

Your experience lies in the supply chain, logistic and FMCG digital business. What innovation are you introducing in this space for the growth of coffee and tea sector in the country?

Innovation lies at the heart of what we do, and we always ensure that the businesses that depend on us to reach their customers have the right tools to get the job done.

On the physical infrastructure side, a great example of this is the investment we made into new machines at the Tea Centre, which have increased throughput and efficiency. Another example is the Agriota E-Marketplace. As a technology-driven agri-commodity trading and sourcing platform, Agriota uses blockchain to help bridge the gap between millions of rural farmers in India and the UAE’s food industry. The platform provides Indian farmers the opportunity to connect directly with the entire food industry in the UAE, including food processing companies, traders and wholesalers.

From where do you source the bean for the coffee?
To date, DMCC Coffee Centre has enabled the trade of over 100 coffee varieties from major growing regions across Central and South America, Africa and Asia. Whilst our biggest import markets for green coffee by volume are Brazil and Ethiopia, we have almost 30 import markets across the world. This large global sourcing footprint has made the Centre one of the world’s top coffee trading hubs. 

Who are some of your top member companies?
We are proud to host some of the most influential businesses within the tea and coffee industries. Taking coffee alone, we have major producers and brands such as Ally Coffee, Neumann Kaffee Gruppe (NKG), Sucafina, and La Marzocco. At a broader level, DMCC’s 24,000-plus member base covers a broad range of sectors and some of the world’s most recognisable businesses across agri-food and commodities trading such as Cargill, Chiquita, Dole, General Mills, Trafigura, and much more.

Are you also into HORECA?
Both our agri centres have different member products for the HORECA industry, where coffee and tea are produced in our facility with members that include internationally recognised brands. With the large-scale format options of products we offer, the coffee and tea we produce is enjoyed in formats like high end pyramid bags for tea and coffee capsules for the coffee. 

More broadly, DMCC’s F&B offering has shot up alongside the growth of our international business district. We now have over 600 F&B outlets across our Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) district, with the world’s cuisines, including Indian and South Asia, in abundance. JLT offers a rich array of choice from award-winning, homegrown F&B pop-ups to Michelin Guide-recommended dining, community markets to boutique shops, whilst we continue to drive an ambitious hospitality offering, particularly following the launch of the urban luxury hotel SO/ Uptown Dubai in our newly opened headquarters of Uptown Tower.
What are your largest market in terms of supply?
Whilst India is undoubtedly one of our largest and most important markets, DMCC is truly an international business district with a business and residential community of over 100,000 people. Over 70% of our new members last year came from over 25 markets in the Middle East, Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas.