CAFE RIDER DUBAI

A pioneer within the specialty coffee space, Cafe Rider opened its doors in 2014 and has since become a thriving hotspot within Dubai’s network of locations at which to work, meet or relax over a cup of coffee. Their USP has always been authenticity, something further reinforced by the presence of an active motorcycle workshop on site. As an early customer I spent numerous hours there, becoming familiar with what drew Dubai’s car and motorcycle community to the space.

After returning to Dubai in 2020, a conversation between Cafe Rider’s founder Murtaza Moulvi and myself led to a major opportunity - to rebuild Cafe Rider’s footprint within the community in a post-COVID world. I was working with a clean slate, beginning with content creation and social media management over the first six months with room to grow the scope of the project as I saw fit.

That “project” grew to be my longest-standing freelance client in Dubai. While the list below is not exhaustive, it does cover a large part of my role at the Cafe over the three years that I worked with them:

  • Content creation (for social media and more)

    • Still images of custom motorcycles, the Cafe space, events, products etc.

    • Reels of the above

  • Social media management (both Cafe Rider and Cafe Rider Roastery accounts)

    • Sharing engaging content that adhered to the “tone” of the space

    • Community management on a daily basis

    • Social media strategy

  • Events

    • Creating event concepts while improving existing ones such as seasonal Caffeine Cruises, Aircooled Assembly, Obsessed with Overland, Form & Function, among others

    • Planning comprehensive logistics with the General Manager

    • Execution

    • Documentation through timely social media content

    • Visit events that the team was invited to and document our attendance, such as the World of Coffee ‘23 and ‘24

  • Community outreach

    • Working with community partners and influencers on collaborations and events - Dubai Drives, the Porsche Classic Club and the Gulf Historics to name a few

  • Digital footprint

    • Overhaul the Cafe Rider website

    • Maintain the Cafe Rider blog with regular entries

    • Design posters and flyers for Cafe Rider events

    • A monthly newsletter to our community

  • Campaigns

    • 10th Anniversary coffee rollout - 10 individual coffee beans rolled out on a monthly basis

    • Merchandise rollouts

    • Christmas campaigns

With a small team running the Cafe, we all pitched in to ensure that every activation and every event was as successful as it could be, with any learnings being implemented directly into the next one. On a personal level, it was an incredible opportunity to learn, experiment, test and eventually hone my skills in growing a brand that was (and still is) dear to the automotive and coffee communities in Dubai. Cafe Rider turned 10 while I was working with them and while a lot has changed, the core concept has remained the same.