MAP IT FORWARD Middle East

MAP IT FORWARD
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The Map It Forward Middle East Podcast explores the business of coffee across the Middle East, featuring conversations with entrepreneurs, producers, and professionals building the future of the region’s coffee industry. Hosted by Dubai-based Map It Forward founder Lee Safar, each five-episode series highlights one guest's journey, offering practical insights, regional context, and candid discussions that reflect the evolving global coffee landscape. Episodes are released daily at 6 am local UAE time. The video version of the podcast can be found on our YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/mapitforward Our website https://www.mapitforward.coffee/middleeastpodcast

  1. EP 1053 Part 3 of 5 | Why Coffee Businesses Can't Ignore Politics (Ana Maria Donneys) | Map It Forward

    3 hr ago

    EP 1053 Part 3 of 5 | Why Coffee Businesses Can't Ignore Politics (Ana Maria Donneys) | Map It Forward

    Advertising SponsorWant to join our Map It Forward Monthly Community Discussion Group? Head to https://patreon.com/mapitforward to join the community by signing up for the "Roasted Coffee" tier for 20 USD per month. Find other like-minded people in the coffee industry. This community is open to all stakeholders in the coffee industry Episode Description This is Part 3 of a 5-part series on The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, hosted by Lee Safar. Our guest is Ana Maria Donneys, a fifth-generation Colombian coffee producer, founder of Café Primitivo in Quindío, Colombia, and President and Co-Founder of IWCA Colombia. Throughout this series, Lee and Ana explore how Colombian coffee farmers are navigating one of the most volatile periods the coffee industry has experienced in decades, discussing climate, pricing, financing, politics, and what coffee businesses should be preparing for over the next 6–18 months. In this episode, the conversation turns to politics—not from an ideological perspective, but from the practical reality of running a coffee business. Ana explains how Colombia's changing political landscape is influencing security, business confidence, labour costs, logistics, fuel prices, exchange rates, and ultimately the viability of coffee production. She also shares her perspective on the Colombian Coffee Growers Federation (FNC), explaining why it remains one of the most important institutions supporting producers through research, extension services, guaranteed coffee purchasing, and infrastructure investment. Lee and Ana also explore how international events, including conflict in the Middle East, continue to affect producers through higher freight costs, rising fuel prices, and increasing input costs. The conversation highlights an important reality: coffee businesses don't operate separately from politics. Every decision made by governments, both locally and globally, eventually finds its way back to the farm. Whether you're producing coffee, roasting it, importing it, or serving it in a café, this episode offers valuable context for understanding the broader forces shaping today's coffee economy. Connect with Ana and Café Primitivo here: https://www.instagram.com/cafeprimitivo/ https://www.instagram.com/anadonneys/ https://www.cafeprimitivocolombia.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/anadonneys/ If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. *************************************** About Map It Forward The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain. Website: https://mapitforward.coffee Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/ Contact: support@mapitforward.org

    26 min
  2. EP 1052 Part 2 of 5 | How El Niño Is Changing Colombia's Coffee Harvest (Ana Maria Donneys) | Map It Forward

    1 day ago

    EP 1052 Part 2 of 5 | How El Niño Is Changing Colombia's Coffee Harvest (Ana Maria Donneys) | Map It Forward

    Advertising SponsorMIF Coffee Business Plan Review Service: AI can write a business plan. We'll help you determine whether it will work in the real world. Email support@mapitforward.org or DM @mapitforward.coffee to get started. Episode Description This is part 2 of a 5-part series on The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, hosted by Lee Safar. Our guest in this series is Ana Maria Donneys, a fifth-generation Colombian coffee producer, founder of Café Primitivo in Quindío, Colombia, and president and co-founder of IWCA Colombia. In this series, Lee and Ana explore how Colombian coffee farmers are navigating 2026’s volatility across the C Market, climate, liquidity, politics, pricing, and producer-roaster relationships. In this episode, Lee and Ana focus on El Niño and how it is already impacting the coffee harvest in Colombia. Ana explains where Café Primitivo is in the harvest cycle, what happened during the Mitaca, and why the second semester harvest may be far more difficult. She describes the practical signs farmers are seeing on the ground: higher heat, less rain, dry soil, struggling young trees, disease pressure, and cherries that may not develop properly. This conversation also looks at why Colombia is not prepared for irrigation in the way some other producing countries may be, why a smaller harvest does not automatically mean better outcomes for farmers, and why many Colombian producers are entering the second half of the year exhausted and uncertain. For roasters, buyers, importers, and coffee business owners, this episode offers an important origin-side view of what El Niño could mean for supply, quality, pricing, and producer resilience over the next 6 to 18 months. Connect with Ana and Café Primitivo here: https://www.instagram.com/cafeprimitivo/ https://www.instagram.com/anadonneys/ https://www.cafeprimitivocolombia.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/anadonneys/ If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. *************************************** About Map It Forward The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain. Website: https://mapitforward.coffee Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/ Contact: support@mapitforward.org

    27 min
  3. EP 1051 Part 1 of 5 | Why Liquidity Is The Real Coffee Crisis In 2026 (Ana Maria Donneys) | Map It Forward

    2 days ago

    EP 1051 Part 1 of 5 | Why Liquidity Is The Real Coffee Crisis In 2026 (Ana Maria Donneys) | Map It Forward

    Advertising SponsorMIF Coffee Business Plan Review Service: AI can write a business plan. We'll help you determine whether it will work in the real world. Email support@mapitforward.org or DM @mapitforward.coffee to get started. Episode Description This is part 1 of a 5-part series on The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, hosted by Lee Safar. Our guest in this series is Ana Maria Donneys, a fifth-generation Colombian coffee producer, founder of Café Primitivo in Quindío, Colombia, and president and co-founder of IWCA Colombia. In this series, Lee and Ana explore how Colombian coffee farmers are navigating 2026’s volatility across the C Market, climate, liquidity, politics, pricing, and producer-roaster relationships. In this episode, Lee and Ana discuss whether 2026 is progressing the way coffee producers expected. After a year where many people believed the price of coffee would fall sharply, the C Market moved in the opposite direction, creating new pressure for producers, roasters, importers, and the wider coffee supply chain. Ana explains why she cannot build her business around the C Market, even though the C Market still affects her. She talks about the conversations she had with clients at the beginning of the year, the importance of knowing her cost of production, and why liquidity has become one of the biggest challenges of 2026. This episode is a clear look at why coffee volatility is not just about price. It is about cash flow, risk, trust, contracts, and the ability of coffee businesses to pay each other on time. Connect with Ana and Café Primitivo here: https://www.instagram.com/cafeprimitivo/ https://www.instagram.com/anadonneys/ https://www.cafeprimitivocolombia.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/anadonneys/ If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. *************************************** About Map It Forward The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain. Website: https://mapitforward.coffee Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/ Contact: support@mapitforward.org

    22 min
  4. EP 1050 Part 5 of 5 | Harvests, Climate and the Future of Coffee (Lee Safar) | Map It Forward

    5 days ago

    EP 1050 Part 5 of 5 | Harvests, Climate and the Future of Coffee (Lee Safar) | Map It Forward

    Advertising SponsorThis episode is brought to you by Map It Forward Podcast Advertising. Interested in advertising on this podcast? Email support@mapitforward.org to learn more. Episode Description This is Part 5 of a 5-part solo series on The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, with founder and host Lee Safar. Climate change is often discussed as a problem for coffee producers. But the reality is that every business in the coffee supply chain depends on the health, productivity and resilience of coffee farms. When climate changes production, it changes availability. When availability changes, the effects ripple through exporters, importers, roasters, cafés and, ultimately, consumers. In this final episode, Lee explores why understanding harvest cycles has become an essential business skill for anyone working in coffee. She explains how different coffee-producing countries move through the harvest calendar, why no two origins experience the same growing conditions, and why understanding what's happening at origin can help businesses make better purchasing and planning decisions. Lee also examines the potential impact of a forecast Super El Niño and why it deserves the attention of the entire coffee industry. From Brazil and Vietnam to Colombia, Central America and East Africa, different producing regions are likely to experience different challenges. Because coffee is a perennial crop, today's weather events don't simply affect this year's harvest. They can influence flowering, tree health, productivity and coffee quality for years to come. This episode concludes the series by bringing together everything discussed over the previous four episodes. Liquidity, changing consumer behaviour, technology and geopolitics all matter. But none of them can be separated from the realities of agricultural production. Building resilient coffee businesses begins with understanding the systems that make coffee possible in the first place. Connect with Lee Safar and Map It Forward here: - https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee - https://www.instagram.com/leesafar - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leesafar - https://mapitforward.coffee If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. In the next episode, we explore how global geopolitics is impacting food supply chains. *************************************** About Map It Forward The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain. Website: https://mapitforward.coffee Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/ Contact: support@mapitforward.org

    26 min
  5. EP 1049 Part 4 of 5 | The Global Events That Could Change Your Coffee Business (Lee Safar) | Map It Forward

    6 days ago

    EP 1049 Part 4 of 5 | The Global Events That Could Change Your Coffee Business (Lee Safar) | Map It Forward

    Advertising SponsorMIF Coffee Business Plan Review Service: AI can write a business plan. We'll help you determine whether it will work in the real world. Email support@mapitforward.org or DM @mapitforward.coffee to get started. Episode Description This is Part 4 of a 5-part solo series on The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, with founder and host, Lee Safar. For many years, the coffee industry has treated geopolitics as somebody else's problem. Wars, elections, shipping disruptions, sovereign debt and currency movements were seen as issues for governments, economists and financial markets. Today, they are becoming business issues for every participant in the coffee supply chain. In this episode, Lee explores why understanding geopolitics has become essential for coffee businesses. From the Strait of Hormuz and global energy markets to fertilizer prices, shipping costs, currencies and political uncertainty in producing countries, she explains how events taking place thousands of kilometres away can directly influence the cost of producing, moving and buying coffee. Rather than focusing on headlines, this episode examines the mechanisms that connect global events to everyday business decisions. Lee discusses why markets and economics are often telling very different stories, why rising production costs may not be reflected in coffee prices, and how uncertainty creates new risks for producers, exporters, importers, roasters and cafés alike. This episode encourages coffee professionals to broaden their perspective beyond the coffee industry itself. Because building a resilient coffee business today requires understanding not only what's happening in coffee, but what's happening in the world around it. Connect with Lee Safar and Map It Forward here: - https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee - https://www.instagram.com/leesafar - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leesafar - https://mapitforward.coffee If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. In the next episode, we explore how global geopolitics is impacting food supply chains. *************************************** About Map It Forward The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain. Website: https://mapitforward.coffee Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/ Contact: support@mapitforward.org

    23 min
  6. EP 1048 Part 3 of 5 | Technology Is Shifting Power in Coffee | Map It Forward (Lee Safar) | Map It Forward

    1 Jul

    EP 1048 Part 3 of 5 | Technology Is Shifting Power in Coffee | Map It Forward (Lee Safar) | Map It Forward

    Advertising SponsorWant to join our Map It Forward Monthly Community Discussion Group? Head to https://patreon.com/mapitforward to join the community by signing up for the "Roasted Coffee" tier for 20 USD per month. Find other like-minded people in the coffee industry. This community is open to all stakeholders in the coffee industry Episode Description This is Part 3 of a 5-part solo series on The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, with founder and host, Lee Safar. Artificial intelligence has dominated conversations about technology over the past year, but the biggest transformation taking place in coffee isn't AI itself. It's the way technology is changing access to information, lowering barriers to entry, and redistributing power across the coffee value chain. In this episode, Lee explores how producers are finding new ways to connect directly with customers, how language barriers are disappearing, and why traditional advantages built on access to information are becoming less valuable than they once were. She also examines how technology is changing the way coffee businesses build relationships, make decisions, and compete in an increasingly connected world. Rather than asking whether technology will replace jobs, this conversation asks a more important question: what happens when technology changes who holds the power? From independent producers and small businesses to multinational corporations, every participant in the coffee industry is being challenged to rethink where they create value. This episode builds on the discussions around liquidity and changing consumer behaviour by exploring one of the biggest accelerators of change in coffee today. Technology isn't simply creating new tools. It's changing the structure of the industry itself. Connect with Lee Safar and Map It Forward here: - https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee - https://www.instagram.com/leesafar - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leesafar - https://mapitforward.coffee If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. In the next episode, we explore how global geopolitics is impacting food supply chains. *************************************** About Map It Forward The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain. Website: https://mapitforward.coffee Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/ Contact: support@mapitforward.org

    24 min
  7. EP 1047 Part 2 of 5 | The Future of Coffee Depends on More Than Coffee (Lee Safar) | Map It Forward

    30 Jun

    EP 1047 Part 2 of 5 | The Future of Coffee Depends on More Than Coffee (Lee Safar) | Map It Forward

    Advertising SponsorMIF Coffee Business Plan Review Service: AI can write a business plan. We'll help you determine whether it will work in the real world. Email support@mapitforward.org or DM @mapitforward.coffee to get started. Episode Description This is Part 2 of a 5-part solo series on The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, with founder and host Lee Safar. Consumer behaviour is changing. Not just because people have less disposable income, but because they're becoming more intentional about where they spend their money, who they buy from, and the values they expect businesses to represent. At the same time, producing countries are becoming consuming countries, technology is changing how people discover coffee, and traditional assumptions about demand are beginning to shift. In this episode, Lee explores why coffee businesses need to stop looking at consumer behaviour through yesterday's lens. The specialty coffee industry has spent years educating consumers about producers, transparency and value. Now those consumers are acting on that information in ways many businesses didn't anticipate. Drawing on observations from across the global coffee supply chain, Lee explains why growing coffee is no longer enough, why cafés are becoming beverage businesses, and why producers, exporters, roasters and cafés all need to rethink the value they create if they want to remain competitive over the coming years. This episode builds on the discussion around liquidity from Part 1 by examining another critical force shaping the future of coffee businesses: changing customer behaviour. Because understanding where demand is heading may prove just as important as understanding where coffee prices are heading. Connect with Lee Safar and Map It Forward here: - https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee - https://www.instagram.com/leesafar - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leesafar - https://mapitforward.coffee If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. In the next episode, we explore how global geopolitics is impacting food supply chains. *************************************** About Map It Forward The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain. Website: https://mapitforward.coffee Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/ Contact: support@mapitforward.org

    19 min
  8. EP 1046 Part 1 of 5 | The Biggest Risk to Your Coffee Business Isn't Coffee Prices (Lee Safar) | Map It Forward

    29 Jun

    EP 1046 Part 1 of 5 | The Biggest Risk to Your Coffee Business Isn't Coffee Prices (Lee Safar) | Map It Forward

    Advertising SponsorThis episode is brought to you by Arcadia Green Coffee, Colombian coffee exporters taking fresh green coffee from Colombia to the world, farm to roastery, direct. New office now open in the UK.Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/arcadiagreencoffee/WhatsApp: https://wa.me/353877871523 Episode Description This is Part 1 of a 5-part solo series on The Daily Coffee Pro Podcast by Map It Forward, with founder and host Lee Safar. Every day, coffee professionals are bombarded with headlines about the C Market. Prices rise. Prices fall. Analysts speculate about Brazil, Colombia, Vietnam and the next weather event that could move the market. But while the industry is watching coffee prices, many businesses are overlooking the issue that is far more likely to determine whether they survive the next 12 months: liquidity. In this opening episode, Lee challenges one of the most common assumptions in coffee, that coffee prices are the biggest threat to your business. Instead, she argues that businesses rarely fail because the market moves. They fail because they run out of cash. Drawing on her experience working with coffee businesses around the world, Lee explores why markets and economics are not the same thing, why businesses that appear busy can still be financially vulnerable, and why understanding your working capital, cash flow and access to capital has become essential in today's coffee industry. This episode lays the foundation for the rest of the series by encouraging coffee business owners to stop reacting to headlines and start paying attention to the underlying financial health of their business. Because if you're making decisions based only on coffee prices, you may already be solving the wrong problem. Connect with Lee Safar and Map It Forward here: - https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee - https://www.instagram.com/leesafar - https://www.linkedin.com/in/leesafar - https://mapitforward.coffee If you found this episode valuable, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast and follow along for the rest of this 5-part series. In the next episode, we explore how global geopolitics is impacting food supply chains. *************************************** About Map It Forward The Daily Coffee Pro is produced by Map It Forward, supporting coffee professionals globally across the supply chain. Website: https://mapitforward.coffee Mailing list: https://mapitforward.coffee/mailinglist Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mapitforward Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mapitforward.coffee/ Contact: support@mapitforward.org

    22 min
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About

The Map It Forward Middle East Podcast explores the business of coffee across the Middle East, featuring conversations with entrepreneurs, producers, and professionals building the future of the region’s coffee industry. Hosted by Dubai-based Map It Forward founder Lee Safar, each five-episode series highlights one guest's journey, offering practical insights, regional context, and candid discussions that reflect the evolving global coffee landscape. Episodes are released daily at 6 am local UAE time. The video version of the podcast can be found on our YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/mapitforward Our website https://www.mapitforward.coffee/middleeastpodcast

Information

  • Creator
    MAP IT FORWARD
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    301
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 MAP IT FORWARD | All Rights Reserved 512477
  • Show Website
    MAP IT FORWARD Middle East

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