Hakaya Misk: Young man leaves pharmacology for Arabic coffee project

Dr. Ziad Al-Ruqi thanked the Misk Foundation for its dedication to the success of Hakaya Misk. (SPA)

• Hakaya Misk aims to empower Saudi youth, help them to discover their talents and abilities in creative fields

JEDDAH: The distinctive status of Arabic coffee has convinced Dr. Ziad Al-Ruqi, who holds a doctorate, to establish his “Cafe Zad” project, pushed by his passion for Arabic coffee, which he describes as a symbol of the culture of his homeland.
Hakaya Misk in Riyadh was the visitors’ window to learn about “Zad Cafe,” the project for which young Ruqi decided to leave his work in pharmacology to complete his foundation.
Ruqi said he has chosen this name because: “Coffee with dates at the time of our ancestors was Zad, which means complete (meal) in Arabic, and it was an alternative for food most of the time.”
He said many people still drink Arabic coffee, despite the rise of a new generation who only drink it on special occasions and have replaced it with new types of hot and cold drinks, with the spread of modern coffee shops that serve American or French coffee.
Ruqi emphasized that Arabic coffee is rich in antioxidants and that adding cardamom, cloves or saffron helps increase its health benefits and gives it a special taste and flavor.
Ruqi thanked the Misk Foundation for its dedication to the success of Hakaya Misk, which has a pioneering role in providing young people with opportunities to exploit their energies and talents in their best interests.
The 10th edition of the event included a wide range of cultural and artistic activities and workshops. It brought together a number of successful youth projects and experiences in fields including film production, animation, writing and theater. A number of familiar Arab and international media platforms also took part, and there was a special section — Hakaya Tech — devoted to technology innovators offering tools designed to assist creative talents. There was also a section for “young producers,” along with food carts to tempt visitors.
Hakaya Misk aims to empower Saudi youth, help them to discover their talents and abilities in creative fields such as the arts and technology, and encourage them to develop creative projects of a modern and global nature that will help to support the Kingdom’s Vision 2030. A large number of young people who participated in previous editions used their talents to create successful national projects.