JEDDAH: The 10th Saudi Coffee Festival opened in Jazan on Saturday. The 10-day festival has been organized by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Agriculture.

Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s largest consumers of coffee and achieving self-sufficiency in its production is a goal of Saudi Vision 2030.

The festival is a major marketing outlet for the premium Saudi coffee bean known as Khawlani, which comes from the Jazan region. Coffee is an important tourist attraction for the area, putting the spotlight on one of the Kingdom’s most mountainous regions and its culture and traditions.

Khawlani is one of the world’s most sought-after coffee beans. It has been cultivated in the region for more than eight centuries and is mentioned many times in old poems and songs from the region.

Last year, UNESCO registered Saudi Khawlani coffee and the skills and knowledge associated with its cultivation to the List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Mufarh Al-Malki, CEO of the Saudi Coffee Festival, said that Al-Dayer governorate is delighted to host the annual festival and to represent a product that embodies a great economic boon for the Kingdom.

According to statistics from the 2022 Saudi Coffee Festival, the Jazan region is home to more than 2,000 coffee farms, which have a total of 384,214 coffee trees and an annual production of over 900 tons.

More than 100 farmers are displaying their crops and coffee products at this year’s festival, which also includes a number of cultural events and activities that will take place under the title “Coffee Nights” — and will, according to the organizers, revive the heritage of Jazan and shed light on the region’s cultural legacy — as well as a tourism and heritage corner, traditional clothing stores, children’s theater, food stalls, and, of course, specialty coffee.