Cafe2go to take the Camel Chino abroad

Dubai: A Dubai cafe has said it is going one step further to promote a taste of UAE culture — by offering camel milk and meaty treats overseas.

Cafe2go founder Jassim Al Bastaki said the trademark Camellos brand will carry its products — that will proudly display its “Made in the UAE” label — to foreigners.

The cafe has struck franchise deals in nations such as South Africa, Spain, and Pakistan. It also plans to open shop in the US state of Cleveland.

Cafe2go has grown to eight outlets in Dubai since the first cafe opened at Al Murooj Rotana hotel in 2011.

Cafe2go offers customers the regular favourites, but with a traditional twist. Items of the menu include Camel Chino — cappuccino with camel milk — and a camel-meat burger. It also offers camel milkshakes, gelatos, and camel hotdogs.

Al Bastaki, an Emirati businessman, said camel milk and meat are amongst traditional UAE foods that were more popular with the older generations.

“Now, after we started offering this here, people are getting interested. We’re getting questions, people want to taste it,” he added.

The cafe also offers free bite-sized tasters to satiate the curious.

“We’ll send Camellos global with the “Made in the UAE” message. Tourists from Japan and Germany [for example] have liked it and talked about it. This is good PR [public relations]. We also have some 22,000 Facebook fans.”

He added, “People in East Asia are proud of their soy milk, so I should be proud of our camel milk.”

Camel milk is more salty than cow milk and its meat is more dry and tough, Al Bastaki said.

“But it’s also healthier, and if you give customers what they want [camel products] in a nice way, people like it,” he added.

Camel milk is low in fat and cholesterol, and “closest to human’s mother milk”, according to Cafe2go. It contains 10 times more iron and three times more vitamin C than cow milk.

Al Bastaki said researchers are studying claims that camel milk helps prevent diseases such as diabetes and cancer.

“We’re also working on education, showing the differences camel milk has. That’ll also be part of awareness and training for our international franchisees.”

Cafe2go plans to supply a UAE supermarket chain with frozen and ready-to-eat camel meat products in early 2014, he added.

Al Bastaki said five per cent of the cafe’s revenues go towards the Dubai Charity Association.