Every year on International Coffee Day, the world celebrates the drink that wakes us up, inspires conversations that build bridges between cultures. In Saudi Arabia, however, coffee is more than a beverage; it’s a symbol of heritage, pride, and hospitality.
Monday, 29 September 2025, marks National Coffee Day in the United States and a few other countries, while Wednesday, 1 October, marks International Coffee Day. Both are opportunities for coffee shops to re-engage customers, boost sales, and may even entice a few new faces.
In this article, we’ll cover the legacy of Saudi coffee along with ideas on how coffee shops can boost engagement on International Coffee Day in the kingdom and around the world.
We’ll cover everything from coffee shop loyalty programs to ideas for boosting sales and retention on this annual day for coffee lovers.
The Enduring Legacy of Saudi Gahwa
In Saudi Arabia, coffee transcends a mere beverage. It’s a cornerstone of heritage, pride, and hospitality.
Unlike many countries, Saudi Arabia enjoys 3 distinct types of coffee: Arabian coffee, known as ‘qahwa’ or ‘gahwa Arabi,’ Turkish coffee, and traditional coffee.
Gahwa, a light-colored, golden brew of lightly roasted Arabica beans and cardamom, is traditionally prepared in a unique pot called dallah and served unsweetened in handless cups called finjans.
Its aromatic, spicy flavor is often balanced with dates, and its serving is a ritual of generosity and social connection.
The economic and cultural impact of Gahwa
This tradition thrives alongside a booming modern coffee scene, with specialty cafes and barista competitions blending cultural heritage with contemporary appreciation.
The Saudi coffee market, valued at $1.38 billion in 2024, is projected to reach $2.27 billion by 2033, fueled by a thriving cafe culture and government initiatives like the Saudi Coffee Initiative under Vision 2030, which aims to boost local production and make Saudi coffee global.
Further reading: How to Start & Manage a Successful Coffee Shop in 2025
Vision 2030 and the Saudi Coffee Boom
Gahwa remains integral to Saudi hospitality, offered as a greeting in hotels. Regional variations, such as Jazan coffee with cardamom and saffron, add unique flavors.
Beyond tradition, cafes have become popular study and work spots, providing productive environments with Wi-Fi and power outlets.
The growth of the coffee sector is a key part of Vision 2030’s economic diversification. The Public Investment Fund (PIF) established the Saudi Coffee Company to invest SAR 1.2 billion ($320 million) and increase local production from 300 to 2,500 tons annually. Collaborations like the one between the Saudi Coffee Company and Estidamah are advancing the industry through new technologies and farmer training for enhanced production and sustainability.
Further reading: What the Vision 2030 Means for Restaurants & Coffee Shops in Saudi Arabia
Ideas for International Coffee Day
While some people may not notice it’s International Coffee Day, it’s always a good idea to remind them with an offer or a quick message. Both National Coffee Day and International Coffee Day are opportunities to entice customers to get together over coffee.
If you manage a coffee shop or chain, these ideas will help you drive sales even if you haven’t started yet.
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Combine several events
National Coffee Day and International Coffee Day come less than 10 days after Saudi National Day. You can take this opportunity to merge offerings or create a theme for the 3 events.
This can take the form of a special seasonal menu or beverage to boost seasonal sales.
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Consider swag
Nothing makes an experience more memorable or garners customers’ attention like swag or complimentary gifts. These can be as simple as a limited-edition pin or coaster. Alternatively, you can offer a free upgrade to anyone who makes an order during a specific period.
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Launch a special cup
If you’re planning ahead, you can create a special paper cup for September, celebrating International Coffee Day and Saudi National Day. Combine the kingdom’s green and white colors into a single design to celebrate the special occasions.
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Create a giveaway
One way to create hype around your coffee brand is to launch a giveaway. Depending on how many branches you manage, you can have multiple winners to increase customer engagement and get more entries.
Although coffee lovers might not pass it up, make sure your giveaway is more than a free cup of coffee. The aim is to engage new and current customers and reel them in. Your giveaway may be a thermal mug or ceramic mug or a tote bag with your brand name on it.
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Launch a competition
If you’re stumped on the idea of a National Day and Coffee paper cup, start early (between June and August) and launch a design competition. The winner’s design will be the cup used in your branches for the month of September, or may be until the end of the year.
Foodics: Supporting Saudi Coffee Entrepreneurs
By now, you should have an idea about what you want to do for International Coffee Day.
We invite you to manage your entire coffee shop or chain with Foodics!
Foodics is a cloud point-of-sale (POS) system, designed specifically for F&B concepts like restaurants, coffee shops, bakeries, and sweets shops. It acts as a restaurant management system, helping you streamline operations and manage one or more branches with ease.
Here are a few more ways Foodics can support your café:
- Robust POS system: The Foodics POS system helps you streamline daily operations such as scheduling shifts, ordering, drive-thru counter, and more.
- Inventory management: With Foodics, you can ensure your stocks never run out with inventory management software. You can also set up alerts when critical stocks are low.
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- Loyalty with Foodics Online: Build customer loyalty for your café brand with Foodics Online. Build a coffee shop website and mobile app, launch your loyalty program, send push notifications about your special International Coffee Day offers (and future offers).
- Integrated accounting solutions: Do more with Foodics accounting software. Manage taxes, Zakat, and keep track of all your expenses, purchases, and employee salaries.
- Menu engineering features: Identify your top-selling coffees and menu items with the menu engineering matrix. Identify opportunities and which items need an upgrade to perform better. Figure out which are your lowest-selling, most expensive items.
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- Manage FOH operations: Foodics offers a variety of F&B solutions for coffee shops, such as the customer display screen (CDS), where customers can pay directly.
- Foodics Pay: This is a digital payment solution for restaurants and coffee shops, allowing them to accept all major cards. Foodics Pay provides faster, more accurate operations and daily bank settlements, along with 24/7 technical support, ensuring quick and seamless transactions at all times.
- Easy and seamless reporting: Identify trends, buying patterns, and keep track of all your offers, sales, inventory, and more with POS reports.
Groovy Coffee: A Foodics Coffee Shop Success Story
In 2022, Groovy Coffee opened its first location in Saudi Arabia. Since then, the brand has rapidly expanded to 6 branches across the Kingdom, overcoming early challenges with growth.
Since its opening, the brand has used Foodics’ solutions to improve its operations.
CEO and co-founder Sultan Abdul Latif explained that maintaining quality during busy hours was a key struggle. His solution was to hire skilled chefs and create a welcoming atmosphere to ensure every customer experience was exceptional.
The commitment to quality extends to their menu, as all bakery items are made in-house. He credits Foodics’ complete solution with helping them manage this complexity.
“Foodics has been essential in organizing our supply chain and reducing waste,” he noted, highlighting how the technology has been critical to their operational success.
Embed Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYeOn2iEwpc&t=8s
Wrapping It Up
On International Coffee Day, let’s raise our finjan to Saudi Gahwa. The beverage that tells our story, honors our guests, and inspires our future. Let’s take this opportunity to engage with your customers, build lasting relationships, and grow your business.
Use Foodics solutions to drive sales and retention this International Coffee Day!
