Dubai coffee shop launches Camellos brand for camel products

While a good number of UAE restaurants have long served camel meat, a Dubai cafe is trying to give a modern twist to an old Bedouin tradition and has some more unusual camel products on its menu.

Launched in September 2011 by an Emirati entrepreneur as part of an effort to revive Bedouin traditions, Cafe2Go now features camel lattes, camel-ccinos and camel-meat fajitas.

This month, he launched Camellos - a brand name for his products derived from the Spanish word for camel.

"Camel milk has been around for centuries and I wanted our younger generation to start drinking it again," says Jassim Al Bastaki, the cafe owner.

From here came the idea of mixing it with modern drinks."

Camel milk has been a staple for desert Arab nomads for generations.

However, its boom in modern food and beverage industries in the UAE adds a new level to its commerciality. Apart from being a novelty in the glitzy home of the world's tallest building and the man-made palm islands, Mr Al Bastaki swears by the health benefits of camel milk.

Studies show it is almost as nutritious as human breast milk and offers 10 times more iron and three times more vitamin C than cow's milk.

The challenge in marketing the product comes from the taste and distinct smell.

Camel milk is slightly saltier than other dairy products and has a heavy taste.

Mr Bastaki says he spent months testing different concoctions on family and friends before coming up with the perfect blend.

"Camel milk is known for being a healthier choice," he says.

"We just had to find the right coffee bean mix and degree of steaming the milk to make it taste good."

* Reuters