RIYADH: Saudi Coffee Co. has signed an investment deal with the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu to construct a 30,000-square-meter coffee production warehouse in Jazan City for Primary and Downstream Industries as it looks to increase the Kingdom’s domestic coffee output. The new coffee production warehouse will contribute to raising Saudi coffee output from the current 300 tons per year to 2,500 tons by 2032 while further developing a more sustainable and localized value chain, according to a statement. The Public Investment Fund-backed company intends to invest as much as SR1.2 billion ($319 million) to elevate the Saudi coffee industry and create a stronger connection with global markets. In addition to this, SCC’s 2,500 coffee farms will have access to production and distribution networks. This comes as RCJY has signed investment and construction agreements worth over SR1 billion with multiple investors in Jazan city including SCC and United Feed Co.. The contracts are for various projects including setting up a coffee factory, and an animal feed plant as well as residential and infrastructure projects, Saudi Press Agency reported. SCC plans to open 25 coffee shops globally with a strategic plan comprising five pillars to elevate the coffee production industry in the Kingdom, the firm’s CEO Raja AlHarbi told Arab News on the sidelines of the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh on Oct. 25. He further noted that the company will give adequate training to Saudi youths on agriculture, roasting, grading, and cupping of coffee. AlHarbi highlighted that SCC is not competing with other suppliers outside Saudi Arabia as no other companies are producing Jazan beans. He pointed out that PIF is supporting the firm to achieve its targets. “PIF is targeting to help in the diversification of the Saudi economy. Agriculture and coffee play a major role in this diversification. Coffee is the second biggest product globally after oil. So, imagine one day Saudi Arabia is the major oil producer, and one of the major coffee producers,” he stressed. In partnership with the private sector, SCC’S main objective is to guarantee that the national coffee industry is qualified along its entire value chain, from bean all the way to cup.