Coffee made convenient.
Founder of Cofe App in Kuwait, Ali Al Ebrahim created an app to fulfill coffee lovers needs, quickly and conveniently. Get inspired by our are conversation below.
About Cofe App
An online coffee marketplace that adds a touch of technology to your daily coffee drinking experience.
1. If someone had to describe you in one sentence, what would that be?
Everything Ali does, is done with simplicity at its heart. He believes in using technology to positively impact people’s everyday life.
2. Briefly tell us about COFE.
Conceptualized by a group of coffee enthusiasts, COFE App was created for coffee communities around the world. An online coffee-centric marketplace, COFE App makes Coffee Ordering Fast & Efficient. The mobile application was officially launched in November 2018 in Kuwait, and has since expanded to KSA, and UAE with plans to launch in UK and Turkey later this year.
Since its inception, COFE App has been constantly working to revolutionize the coffee industry by giving all kinds of coffee shops access to a robust digital platform that will help them expand their customer base as well as service offerings, something that was only accessible to coffee-market giants so far.
The innovative mobile application offers multiple ordering solutions to COFE lovers looking for a smart way to grab their daily coffee. Users can access both specialty coffee roasters and international franchise brands through an easy to use and navigate interface.
COFE App provides an elevated coffee experience by enabling vendors to create online offerings in addition to brick and mortar stores with a highly customizable in-app coffee store-front and rewards program.
3. How did you uncover the need in the market for COFE?
While there are marketplace applications for almost all industries: Hospitality (Booking), Food Delivery (Deliveroo), Travel (Expedia) there is a lack of a coffee marketplace app; leaving space for a tech player to come in with services and rewards solution to propel the market to the next level.
COFE App is not disrupting one or two key players but the entire coffee industry. COFE App provides an elevated coffee experience enabling vendors to create online offerings in addition to brick and mortar stores with a highly customizable in-app store-front and rewards program. The app’s robust platform also helps vendors add more services to their portfolio (Premium Services) creating a whole new revenue stream.
The rise of new technologies and data revolution is having a significant and positive impact on coffee producers and consumers. Numbers show that the mobile app industry has a positive growth trajectory. The Starbucks app in 2018 had 23.4 Mns mobile payment users, ranking above Apple Pay (22 Mns) and Google Pay (11.1 Mns) indicating the preference for coffee drinkers to pay vendors directly through their digital platform instead of third party solution. COFE App is the only mobile application in the market that allows ordering, customization and payment from multiple coffee vendors on one platform.
While It makes business sense for global coffee market leaders to have their own application, players without that kind of reach, resources or market share are not having much success with the creation of their own platform. This is where COFE App levels the playing field for all kinds of coffee vendors. Coffee finds its humble beginnings at Mocha Port, Yemen, COFE App now is adding technology to the mix of this much-loved beverage that is intricately woven into the DNA of our culture. Launch of the London market will be history repeating itself where for the first time a middle eastern mobile application will foray into the international market.
4. How can someone register/use COFE?
COFE App is available on both iOS and Android, and it free to use. All you have to do is launch either App Store, or Google Play, depending on your handheld device, download the app, register and viola, COFE App is ready to serve you.
5. What advice do you have for other aspiring innovators in GCC?
Right now technology is at the forefront of all new businesses, in fact even established businesses are now venturing into the Tech sector for growth and expansion. The market for mobile applications is only just booming, and there is a lot of promise in the industry. As such having a strong Tech team has become of paramount importance for businesses. Technology is the primary asset for any new company.
I would also recommend that anyone looking to launch their own start-up should focus on picking a niche instead of venturing into general businesses. Gather as much insider insights and information on your chosen market, as these will go a long way in helping you determine the industry and path you choose. Before you start, determine what your business USP is going to be and build everything around it. Use your USP to differentiate your products and services from others.
Another important aspect to keep in mind is that when getting investors on board target strategic investors. Companies or individuals who understand your business values and goals and are looking to grow together.
"As such having a strong Tech team has become of paramount importance for businesses."
