RIYADH – Saudi Arabia will celebrate "2022 as the Year of Saudi Coffee," according to Minister of Culture Prince Badr Bin Abdullah Bin Farhan. He announced on Thursday that a wide variety of year-long activities, initiatives and events will be held to mark the celebration of this unique element, which is closely linked to the Kingdom's identity and culture. The celebration comes within the Quality of Life Program, one of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 realization programs. "The Saudi Coffee Year" will be a landmark initiative that will be an umbrella for all aspects of celebrating this main component of Saudi culture. The pride in national identity and the cultural elements associated with it is one of the basic duties that the Ministry of Culture shoulders, the minister said. Prince Badr said the ministry will make the Saudi Coffee Year initiative a platform for launching activities, campaigns and supporting ideas. "It has been made a motivating factor for government agencies, civil institutions, and local and international cafes to participate in it through innovative ideas that ensure the presence of Saudi coffee in their menus and products, in addition to organizing competitions and events for community members to ensure a high level of community participation," he said. The celebration of the Saudi Coffee Year is part of the efforts of the Ministry of Culture to highlight the Saudi cultural elements, present it as a distinctive cultural product for the Kingdom and market it locally and internationally. This is based on the unique features of Saudi coffee in the Saudi society, in all stages of its production, cultivation, preparation and presentation, which may not be available in the same way in any another country. The Khawlani coffee beans are being produced mainly in the Kingdom's southern regions, especially in the Yemeni border region of Jazan. Jazan is one of the major coffee producing regions in the world. Tipped as the green gold of Jazan, Khalwani coffee is considered as one of the finest types of coffee beans in the world. In many ways, these beans are a national treasure, crucial to the preservation of Saudi heritage and the nation's cultural identity. This high quality coffee is being prepared in a different color and taste in each one of the Kingdom's 13 provinces and is served to guests in multiple ways and methods, which gives Saudi coffee its privacy and unique cultural depth. Saudi coffee is also presented as a cultural element indicative of noble values that characterize the Saudi person, such as generosity and hospitality, as coffee was and still is an essential part in any meetings and gatherings of members of the society in the Kingdom.
