First joining the Coffee Planet team in 2007, Robert has championed Coffee Planet’s success across the UAE in both the foodservice and retail sectors, within his role as Managing Director.
With the primary objectives of helping more people experience the finest global Arabica coffee, Robert is responsible for overseeing the continued development of Coffee Planet’s GCC and wider Asia operations, as well as driving the brand’s international expansion into markets including the UK.
Prior to joining Coffee Planet, Robert worked closely with several small businesses in management positions, whilst studying for his business postgraduate at Cardiff Business School, Wales.
Robert graduated with honors in Computer Science from Kingston University, UK in 2005. As part of his degree, he studied at Harvard University, USA and spent a year in London working for a specialised IT company.
1. Tell us about the Coffee Planet concept.
At Coffee Planet we roast our 100% Arabica specialty coffee in our own roastery on the Arabian Peninsula; where Arabica roasting began over 500 years ago. The combination of this heritage, the world’s finest Arabica beans and how expert know-how, helps us create truly unique specialty coffees.
Producing quality coffee is our number one priority, which is why we have excellent relationships with the world’s best coffee producers. We roast green beans in our UAE roastery, creating our own whole bean, ground and capsule coffee. We have been supplying customers in foodservice, retail and business across the Middle East and beyond since 2005.
We provide everything to create great coffee including a range of market-leading coffee machines and equipment, all coffee related consumables and training for staff as well as machine servicing and maintenance.
As we continue to grow, we are looking for franchise partners to help as many people as possible experience and enjoy our 100% Arabica specialty coffees; combined with wholesome food in unique and inspiring settings.
2. How and when did you become involved with Coffee Planet?
I first joined the Coffee Planet team in 2007, and I have been involved in the brand’s expansion into the foodservice and retail divisions, as well as successfully developing our 360-degree solutions ethos.
3. What was your background prior to joining Coffee Planet?
Prior to joining Coffee Planet, I gained experience working in several managerial positions within small businesses, alongside completing my postgraduate in business at Cardiff Business School, Wales.
4. What are some of the advantages in being a Coffee Planet franchisee?
New partners looking to collaborate with Coffee Planet can expect to receive support throughout the process from franchise conception to the launch and ongoing assistance, which includes barista training, contractor selection, outlet design, operations and marketing guidance.
Franchisees will also have the ability to purchase exclusive coffee roasts at special prices as well as food and drink recipes with preparation guides and receive full training.
5. Who is your ideal franchisee?
We are looking for franchise partners who have a passion for specialty coffee, customer service and our brand to help drive our mission forward. We look to find master franchisees first in new territories.
6. Tell us a little about the Coffee Planet Market?
The Middle East is cultivating more and more coffee drinkers - making it one of the fastest growing markets in the world for coffee consumption - especially as consumers develop an increased interest in the flavour, origin and brewing methods of their cup of coffee. More specifically, the UAE itself is of great importance to us, as this is where we first launched our brand in 2005.
7. What are some of the greatest lessons you’ve learned in growing this franchise?
We always strive to exceed customer expectations and we welcome feedback to meet the demand for popular coffee trends and blends. Placing customer experience as a priority, we will continue to focus on this measure to ensure we uphold a market-leading standard.
During the development of our franchise concept, we recognised the importance of training across all areas including coffee and food preparation, to customer service and maintenance to ensure these processes are put into place from the beginning.
An initial challenge for us was creating a relaxing and wholesome environment that remains cost-effective, and we feel a great sense of pride knowing this has been achieved.
8. What advice do you have for someone looking to acquire a Franchise?
Franchisees should look for concepts with strong growth potential such as that found within the fast-growing market of specialty coffee. Another key piece of advice would be to ensure you are choosing a brand which is already established in one market with strong prospects when integrated into a new market.
If you are looking to explore the F&B industry and are open to a challenging yet equally rewarding venture, then we are looking for partners just like you to help deliver our aim and share in our combined success.
9. In your opinion, why do you think that Coffee Planet would be a great opportunity for someone?
Operating with a high-growth category, we believe coffee Planet is a leading franchise opportunity due to our ability to offer high-quality products, timeless outlet solutions and competitive franchising charges based on territory size and outlet number commitment.
Our 100% Arabica coffee is sourced directly from the world’s best farmers in over 20 countries and we monitor quality in all areas of operation, roasting in our HACCP and UTZ certified UAE-based roastery in Dubai. This not only ensures we maintain oversight across the entire coffee crafting process, but that our franchisee’s will always be provided with a high-quality product.
