Striving for Perfection

With its name originating from the amount of money the project was launched with when two friends decided to leave their hometown of Riyadh and set out to start their own business, the core vision of Half Million Café was to simplify the coffee experience and stay close to their community. Here, CEO Eng. Suhaib Al Balushi tells us all about the journey so far and where he hopes it will take them moving forward.

From day one, the goal of Half Million Café has been to pioneer the F&B industry by building a Saudi brand with a global footprint. Their success in a competitive market comes down to a customer-centric view of expanding rapidly while maintaining their high quality, at an affordable price point. Identifying a clear gap in the market, the business seized the opportunity to deliver real added value to its customers and built a brand that truly resonates with them.

While its ambition is global, the soul of Half Million Café remains proudly Saudi, inspired by a culture renowned for its hospitality, warmth and ability to bring people together over coffee and conversation. Having built a portfolio of branches across multiple major cities in Saudi Arabia, they have recently made their international debut with a launch in the heart of London.

“Our Oxford Street branch is actually our second UK location. We originally launched in Holborn, but after learning valuable lessons from that experience, we made the bold decision to move to one of London’s most iconic and high-traffic streets,” comments Eng. Suhaib Al Balushi, CEO of Half Million Café.

“The Oxford Street location has allowed the company to maximise our visibility, engage directly with both locals and international tourists and prove our brand on a global stage. The decision has paid off and our sales have increased roughly 10 times compared to our previous site. Building on this success, we are now actively working on opening another prime location in London.”

In the immediate future, their focus is twofold; deepening their footprint across the GCC and opening two additional stores in the UK.

Discussing international expansion, Al Balushi feels its presents a distinct set of operational and market challenges. He then shares four key insights for Saudi brands looking to follow this path: deep market & consumer intelligence, volume driven and accessible pricing, strict cost & capex control and strategic brand positioning.

The core concept of Half Million Café was built from the beginning to be globally adaptable rather than limited to a single region. Their menu focuses on universally enjoyed offerings with Saudi at the heart of what they do, for example, classic espresso-based drinks to specialised cold and sweet signature beverages which seamlessly align with international tastes. By keeping this core proposition versatile and globally relevant, they were able to transition smoothly into London and set a solid foundation for further international growth.

As we move the topic onto the discussion of social media, Al Balushi explains that social media is one of their primary channels for connecting with their audience. He continues by saying they have a dedicated in-house team focused on driving digital engagement across all their active markets, including Saudi and the UK. By creating interactive content and maintaining an open dialogue with their community online, social media has been essential for building brand awareness, driving foot traffic and fostering long-term loyalty in new international markets.

“The rapid evolution of Saudi’s café culture has been driven by a young, globally connected population, combined with the macro transformations under Vision 2030, which elevated hospitality, lifestyle and social spaces. Coffee has transitioned from a traditional daily ritual into a central lifestyle and social experience,” says Al Balushi.

“At Half Million, we helped shape this transformation by bridging the gap between high-end specialty coffee and everyday accessibility. When the market was split between traditional options and expensive specialty spots, we democratised the modern coffee experience delivering premium quality, exceptional speed and an inviting atmosphere at an affordable price. That balance helped set a new benchmark for what a modern local coffee brand can achieve.”

Through this balance, the company is positioning itself to lead this evolution across three pillars. The first of these is tech-driven convenience, where they continuously optimise their digital channels, mobile ordering and store workflows to ensure seamless customer experiences without losing the human connection. The second is maintaining high value; as global costs rise, they stay committed to offering top-tier speciality coffee at specialty price points and finally, the third is scalable agility; they design their menu and store formats to adapt quickly across different cultures and locations while maintaining strict quality consistency worldwide.

With sustainability, quality and customer experience becoming increasingly important purchasing drivers, the business drives these priorities by sourcing high-grade beans ethically, using recyclable operational materials and optimising their supply chain to actively reduce waste. To elevate customer experience and operational speed, they are introducing robotic baristas into their stores while staying dedicated to fair pricing that turns first-time visitors into loyal daily customers.

Our last questions to Al Balushi are about the journey so far and what achievement makes him the most proud and what would success look like for the brand over the next five years?

“What makes me most proud is our scale and vertical integration. We now operate over 100 stores across 12 cities globally, including 19 cities in Saudi, London and Baghdad, backed by three in-house manufacturing facilities, including a major roaster handling over 2,000 metric tons annually and two bakery plants. Having grown 12 fold since 2020, we have proved our operational resilience and ability to scale. Over the next five years, success means taking Half Million Café from a local leader to a truly global brand while aggressively scaling our B2B sales.”