Flat White Specialty Coffee

What Flat White Specialty Coffee does

Flat White Specialty Coffee is a Doha-based specialty coffee chain founded in 2016 by Nasser Al-Naemi and Maryam Al-Bader as the first third-wave specialty coffee shop in Qatar. The company operates 9 café branches across Qatar — including locations at The Pearl, Lusail Centro Mall, Gate Mall, Tawar Mall (24-hour), iCONIC 2022, Al Hilal, Qatar Foundation/Education City, Hamad International Airport, and the FW Ritual concept at The Dome — serving specialty-grade Arabica coffee prepared via espresso, pour-over, AeroPress, and Chemex methods, alongside a seasonal kitchen menu of brunch, salads, sandwiches, pastries, sharing plates, and pre-order whole cakes.

The core technology is human craft rather than software: SCA-certified founders and baristas, premium international bean sourcing (Kenya, Guatemala, Ethiopia, Thailand via partners including The Barn, plus in-house Honoroast single-origin roasts), and a curated equipment stack featuring CAFEC, Chemex, AeroPress, Delter, Brewista, and Comandante. The company has built a vertical specialty ecosystem around the core café: Honoroast (in-house roastery), TO-GO BY FLAT WHITE (grab-and-go concept), FW Ritual (mindful slow-coffee experience), FW Academy (paid workshops and SCA certification courses), an e-commerce storefront at flatwhite.qa selling beans and equipment with international shipping on inquiry, and a B2B wholesale and catering arm.

The business model is primarily direct-to-consumer retail across café, takeaway, and delivery channels, supplemented by online retail of beans and equipment, B2B wholesale and catering, and education services through FW Academy. Pricing is in Qatari Riyal (QAR), with coffee beans at QAR 80-200, equipment at QAR 30-800, whole cakes at QAR 225, and workshops at QAR 500-750. Distribution runs through owned cafés, the proprietary e-commerce site, and third-party delivery platforms (Tabalat, Snoonu, Keeta). The company is founder-owned, privately held, with no disclosed institutional investment, no disclosed revenue figures, and operates with 51-100 employees.

Name

Flat White Specialty Coffee

Legal name

Flat White Specialty Coffee

Website

https://flatwhite.qa

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Flat White Specialty Coffee operates 9 third-wave specialty coffee cafés across Qatar, founded in 2016 as the country's first such chain. It serves specialty-grade Arabica coffee, seasonal food, and whole cakes to individual consumers, supplemented by in-house roastery Honoroast, FW Academy workshops, e-commerce, and B2B wholesale.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee Shop

NAICS

Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars (722515), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (31192), Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920), Other Specialty Food Retailers (44529)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810), Retail-Eating Places (5812), Beverages (2080)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coffee Roasters with Cafe (Roastery Cafes) (THAFADAE), Specialty Coffee & Tea Retail (Beans, Leaves, Accessories) (CRAHAGAI), Cafe-Bakeries (Coffee + Pastry Focus) (THAFADAG)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee retail
• Third-wave coffee shop
• Coffee roasting brand
• Coffee education workshops
• Café catering services

Headquarters

HQ city

Doha

HQ country

Kuwait

HQ region

Middle East

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Café Food & Beverage Sales: Revenue from specialty coffee drinks, espresso-based beverages, food menus (brunch, salads, sandwiches, pastries, sharing plates), and whole cakes sold across 9 café branches in Qatar. Each branch runs its own specialty menu.
2. E-commerce (Coffee Beans & Equipment): Online sales of coffee beans (espresso and filter), brewing equipment (manual brewers, drippers, kettles, grinders), barista accessories, and merchandise through the company's own e-commerce storefront.
3. Wholesale (B2B): Wholesale program for F&B suppliers and businesses, including supplier registration and tender applications for Flat White projects.
4. Catering & Events: Catering services for private events, gatherings, and corporate functions, including sharing plates like Box of Celebration.
5. FW Academy (Education & Training): Paid workshops and SCA certification courses including Brewing Workshop (QAR 750), Home Barista Workshop (QAR 500), Latte Art Workshop, Cupping Workshop, and SCA Barista Foundation, Brewing Foundation, and Introduction to Coffee courses held at The Gate Mall, Tower 4, 10th Floor. Class sizes of 2 participants.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Flat White Specialty Coffee operates a chain of specialty third-wave coffee shops and kitchens across Qatar, serving espresso-based drinks, pour-over and manual-brewed coffee, and a seasonal food menu through 9 branches. The company also sells specialty coffee beans (via its in-house Honoroast brand and international roasters), brewing equipment, and barista accessories through an e-commerce storefront, and delivers paid coffee education workshops and SCA certification courses through FW Academy.

Product overview

Flat White Specialty Coffee is a specialty coffee shop and kitchen with a multi-channel offering: it operates 9 physical branches across Qatar serving espresso-based drinks and seasonal food menus, combined with a retail e-commerce platform selling coffee beans, brewing equipment, and barista accessories. The core offering includes their in-house roasted brand Honoroast and specialty coffee from international roasters like The Barn. Product portfolio spans: (1) Specialty Coffee & Kitchen (core in-store experience), (2) Honoroast (in-house roasted beans), (3) TO-GO BY FLAT WHITE (grab-and-go concept), (4) FW Ritual (mindful slow-coffee experience), (5) FW Academy (education workshops and SCA certification courses), (6) Coffee Beans & Brewing Equipment (retail online store), (7) Whole Cakes (pre-order bakery), and (8) Catering & Events services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Honoroast: The company's own roastery brand for coffee beans
• TO-GO BY FLAT WHITE
• FW Ritual
• FW Academy
• FW

Products and services

• Specialty Coffee & Kitchen (Café Service) The flagship specialty coffee shop and food service operating across 9 branches in Qatar, offering espresso-based drinks, manual pour-over brews, and seasonal food menus (brunch, salads, sandwiches, pastries, sharing plates) for in-café, takeaway, and delivery consumption. Founded as Qatar's first third-wave specialty coffee shop.
• Coffee Beans (Espresso and Filter) Whole coffee beans for espresso and filter preparation, including single-origin specialty offerings from The Barn (Kenya, Guatemala, Thailand) and in-house roasted Honoroast beans from Ethiopia, sold online and in-store. Priced from QAR 80 to QAR 200.
• Manual Brewing Equipment Specialty coffee brewing equipment including CAFEC pour-over drippers, Chemex filter-drip coffeemakers, Delter Coffee Press manual brewers, Brewista gooseneck kettles, CAFEC manual grinders, coffee filters and servers, and barista tools such as Barista Space milk pitchers and Push Tampers.
• Honoroast (In-house Roasted Coffee Beans) Flat White's proprietary in-house roasted specialty coffee brand, featuring single-origin beans like Honoroast Ethiopia Agamosa Natural 1kg (QAR 200) and Ethiopia Chelbesa Washed 250g. Sold online and in branches.
• TO-GO BY FLAT WHITE (Grab-and-Go Coffee) Grab-and-go coffee concept under Flat White Specialty Coffee offering portable coffee beverages and packaged coffee products for customers on the move.
• FW Ritual (Slow-Paced Coffee Experience) A mindful specialty coffee experience concept at The Dome, Education City, emphasizing slow-paced coffee culture with food and stillness as an alternative to quick-service café formats.
• FW Academy Workshops (Brewing, Home Barista, Latte Art, Cupping) Paid in-person coffee education workshops at The Gate Mall, Tower 4, 10th Floor, covering home brewing, espresso and milk steaming, latte art, and cupping. Class size of 2 participants.
• FW Academy SCA Certification Courses Specialty Coffee Association certified courses including SCA Barista Foundation, SCA Brewing Foundation, and SCA Introduction to Coffee, offered at The Gate Mall with optional certification upon completion.
• Whole Cakes (Pre-Order) Pre-order whole cakes including Hazelnut Crunch chocolate cake (QAR 225), available with 24-hour advance notice for pickup at Flat White branches in Qatar.
• Catering & Events Catering services for private events, gatherings, and corporate functions, offering Flat White specialty coffee, sharing plates such as the Box of Celebration, and pre-order whole cakes.
• Wholesale and B2B Coffee Supply B2B wholesale supply of specialty coffee and equipment for F&B businesses in Qatar, with wholesale credit applications and supplier/tender registration forms available on the company website.

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• TabalatcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party delivery partner enabling Flat White coffee and food delivery to customers across Qatar.
• SnoonucoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party delivery platform partner serving Qatar, providing home and office delivery of Flat White products.
• KeetacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThird-party delivery platform partner for Flat White product delivery in Qatar.
• Environmental Groups in QatarminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFlat White has partnered with environmental organizations in Qatar to host sustainability talks for customers, supporting the company's mission to reduce plastic use and promote recycling.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Nightmares Concept: Independent specialty coffee and brunch concept operating in Doha and the wider Gulf; directly comparable as a Doha-based third-wave competitor in the same premium segment.
• Boon Coffee: Kuwait-based specialty coffee concept with similar café-plus-beans offering in a neighboring GCC market; useful regional comparable for Flat White's potential cross-border expansion.

Others

• The Barn: Renowned German specialty coffee roastery and existing bean supplier to Flat White (Kenya, Guatemala, Thailand origins); comparable as a roastery partner and ecosystem peer rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• The Espresso Lab: UAE specialty coffee chain focused on single-origin beans, manual brewing, and barista craft; a direct regional comparable in the GCC third-wave segment.
• RAW Coffee Company: Dubai-based specialty coffee roaster and café operator with multiple UAE locations, serving single-origin Arabica and SCA-aligned brewing methods—closely comparable to Flat White's café-plus-roastery model in the Gulf.
• % Arabica: Global third-wave specialty coffee chain with minimalist café concepts and an in-house roastery, widely regarded as the international benchmark for the category Flat White pioneered in Qatar.

Broad incumbents

• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Pioneering US third-wave roaster and café operator; comparable in third-wave positioning, SCA-aligned craft, and roastery-plus-café structure, but at significantly larger scale.
• Caribou Coffee: Multi-unit specialty coffee chain with presence across the Middle East; overlaps with Flat White on café formats and specialty positioning but operates as a broader incumbent rather than a pure third-wave specialist.
• Blue Bottle Coffee: Established US third-wave specialty coffee chain (now owned by Nestlé) with a roastery-café model; broadly comparable in product philosophy and craft positioning but operates at much larger scale.
• Starbucks Reserve: Starbucks' premium third-wave and roastery concept; competes for the same premium-segment customers in the Gulf with substantially greater capital and brand reach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/flatwhite.qa
• Xx.com/flatwhiteqa
• Facebookfacebook.com/flatwhite.qa
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/flatwhitespecialtycoffee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Flat White Specialty Coffee