Emirati student in Dubai launches coffee truck on campus
Engineering major passionate about speciality coffee turns F&B entrepreneur at RIT Dubai
Dubai: An Emirati student at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) Dubai has launched a speciality food and beverage truck on the university campus.
Saeed Al Ghafli, a senior student of computing and information technologies, said: “The idea came to me with the inauguration of the new campus and its… array of academic and recreational facilities. While there are well-stocked canteen services, there was nowhere close by where I was able to get speciality coffee, which is something I have a real passion for, so I thought perhaps I could set something up myself.”
With the support of the facilities team at RIT Dubai, Al Ghafli went on to establish his own coffee truck on campus. Now in the final year of his studies, Saeed manages the business alongside his academic and personal commitments.
“It is of course challenging to take on a business while completing the senior year of my degree, but I am very disciplined about organizing my time each day and this is a project I really believe in and am dedicated to pursue,” said Al Ghafli.
Dr Yousef Al Assaf, President at RIT Dubai, said: “RIT Dubai is building an ecosystem that provide its students opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship not only in their studies and internships but also by putting them to practice at campus and beyond. We hope other students will follow the example of Saeed in creating their business at campus in various fields…”
Saeed has already recruited one team member into the business and is now looking into expanding beyond the university campus.