Dubai, December 01, 2008: Barista Espresso, one of the leading chains of espresso cafes in the region has opened at Dubai Mall. This is Barista's tenth outlet in the UAE. The café at Dubai Mall is located on the First level of the mall .

Barista is all about the coffee experience and delivering a classic Italian flavour, created by our skilled Italian roast masters at the roastery in Venice using only the finest quality Arabica beans.

In an era of converging lifestyles, Barista Espresso has always been the pioneer in delivering superior experiences to its customers, Barista focuses on themes and avenues that harmonize with coffee such as music, books and art. Each Barista Espresso outlet offers customers a choice of entertainment, which can be enjoyed along with quality coffee products, such as games, magazines and musical instruments to play.

Announcing the same, Mr. Ishwar Chugani, Executive Director, ETA-Star Retail said, "Barista has been on a steady expansion path in the region. With the opening of this outlet, we have taken our count upto 10 in the UAE and xx in the region."

He further added, "At Barista we help our guests experience the Joy of Coffee as reflected in the warm relaxing ambience, the exotic coffee flavours and the friendly service provided by our brewmasters. Barista consumers aspire for a unique lifestyle, which permits them to indulge in much more than their favourite coffee. Barista believes in offering the true Espresso experience to its customers."

Barista traces its roots back to the old coffee houses in Italy - the hotbeds of poetry, love, music, writing, revolution and of course, fine coffee. Drawing inspiration from them, we have single-handedly taken on the challenge to transport the magic of Italian coffee houses to countries across the globe. No easy task, this - possible, nevertheless.

To deliver a classic Italian experience, we have employed skilled Italian roastmasters at our roastery in Venice. Sourced only the finest quality Arabicas. And have had our cafes designed to reflect the warmth, culture and romance of Italy. That done, we were ready for the next step: turning it all into a brand.

To begin with, there's the décor - a blend of evocative imagery and deep, warm hues. Followed by the product - only the best Arabica beans, roasted to perfection by Italian roastmasters. This has helped us build more than a coffee business - what has emerged is a powerful brand called Barista Coffee.

In UAE, Barista has cafes at the following locations:

Dubai- Dubai Festival City, Burjuman, Mall of the Emirates, Carrefour-Shindagha, Centrepoint-Trade Centre Road, Dubai Outlet Mall, Dubai Mall.

Abu Dhabi- Marina Mall, Al Wahda Mall, Centrepoint

-Ends-

About Barista Espresso
ETA Ascon's Star Retail has introduced Barista in the UAE through a joint venture agreement with KAPICO Holdings, part of Kuwait's Al Ghanam Group, to operate Barista Espresso coffee shops across the GCC.

ETA Ascon is a diversified group with business interests including construction, elevators and escalators, power projects, recycle management and shipping. The Group has been inexistence for over 35 years with its Head Office in Dubai and Branch and Associate offices in over 17 countries around the world.

For further information, please contact:
Jumana Aman
Watermelon PR
Dubai
Ph: 04- 2833 655
jumana@watermelonme.com

© Press Release 2008