Humans of coffee: Reem Hassan

A while back I interviewed Mariam Erin, the 2022 UAE Cezve Ibrik champion and the 2021 UAE Brewers’ Cup champion, on what it takes to win a competition. It’s an interesting read which I recommend you have a look at. When I heard she moved to Seven Fortunes, I was keen to know the story behind the roastery.

I reached out the co-founder, Reem Hassan, and she was happy to share.

Please introduce yourself to the readers.

I was born in Dubai, raised in Dubai and Zurich. I’ve been in the UAE for a total of 19 years.

Tell us about Seven Fortunes.

Seven Fortunes Coffee Roasters has been in business for seven years .

Initially Seven Fortunes stemmed from our love of coffee. While working our day jobs, fueling up on average coffee, we decided that it was time to pursue our passion and turn it into a reality. Instead of continuously dreaming of the perfect cup, we crafted one that you can taste, smell and hold in your hand.

Over the course of seven years, our vision and philosophy evolved.

Now, our philosophy stems from our spirit – always innovating, daring and pushing beyond limits. We know the process is the essence of Seven Fortunes that’s why we embrace mistakes as an opportunity to deliver a better product each time. We never stop, we keep evolving.

What is your earliest coffee memory?

My earliest coffee memory was in 2009, when I first discovered a Moka pot. I was at a friend’s house from Naples. We had just finished dinner and her mother was preparing coffee for us using a Moka pot.

I was intrigued by its vintage look and feel. As we sipped on our coffee, I slowly discovered how a Moka pot is a staple of Italian culture. They would consume about 5 cups of these a day, after every meal.

What is your opinion on the future of specialty coffee in the UAE?

I strongly believe, the future of specialty coffee in the UAE is the ability to make specialty coffee readily available and accessible for everyone.

The UAE market is always seeking new experiences, like trying unique specialties from widespread corners of the world. For an example, instant coffee (capsules, drip bags) in the UAE is receiving a makeover, with higher-end brews. With new delivery options everyday, specialty coffee is readily available, from drive-thru to pick-up corners. This will soon allow specialty coffee to be as readily accessible and convenient as your local Starbucks chain.

How do you spend your private time?

I spend my private time with friends and family, picking up new hobbies, like meditation.

Any new developments at Seven Fortunes we should we aware of?

We wanted to feature our exclusive coffees in a unique way. We felt these coffees can speak volumes and we wanted to take our consumers through a journey. That’s the idea behind Synesthesia.

Therefore, we created a multi sensory journey by adding another level of experience when drinking your coffee. When drinking your coffee, you use your sense of taste. So with every edition of Synesthesia, we’ve added another layer of experience by engaging your other senses (Sight, Touch, Hearing, Smell) to heighten your sense of taste.

In our first edition, we are using a Gesha Washed, from Elida Estate Lamastus Family Estates. In this edition, we are stimulating your sense of sight to heighten your sense of taste. We included a painting and related the colors of the painting to the taste notes you perceive in your coffee.

“The softness of light colors such as light pink and purple represent flavors that you can perceive as berries and roses in your coffee”

With every edition/release, we plan to incorporate a different sense such as touch, hearing or smell to heighten your sense of taste.

Our packaging for Synesthesia was designed in the same way you design an app. In which, we aim to take the consumers through a journey through the varying interfaces:

First Interface: Front Sleeve. At this stage we are hoping a few people would google the definition of Synesthesia if they are not aware of the terminology.