A towering statue of Ramesses II welcomes guests to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in Giza, Egypt. The 3,200-year-old block of granite stands at more than 36 feet tall and dates to the New Kingdom, when Ramesses II ruled over what was then the most powerful empire in earth’s history. The statue is a fitting showcase for a collection which boasts more than 100,000 artifacts in what is claimed to be the world’s largest purpose-built museum. After a construction period that lasted more than 20 years, GEM held its grand opening on November 4, 2025.
Visitors to GEM will discover more than ancient obelisks or Tutankhamun’s golden sarcophagi. They’ll also find a monument to Egypt’s burgeoning coffee scene: an ambitious café from Cairo specialty coffee pioneers 30 North.
When Sprudge visits 30 North’s GEM location, founder and CEO Amr El-Khazindar is on hand to greet guests and direct traffic. With over 15,000 daily visitors, GEM attracts crowds more often associated with theme parks or concert festivals than archeology. A considerable number of those guests are looking for a caffeine boost to help them navigate the million-square-foot facility.
Sprudge struck up a conversation with El-Khazindar as we waited for our pour-over of a natural Ethiopia.
“I have lived all over the world, but to me nothing beats Cairo,” says El-Khazindar. “Named after the geo-coordinates of Cairo on the map, the name 30 North pays homage to this great city.”
Although GEM is in Giza, an ancient city in own right, the two sprawling cities have grown into each other, creating an urban area of more than 20 million people. When El-Khazindar founded the roaster/retailer in 2017, there were very few brands serving this enormous market.
“30 NORTH introduced specialty coffee to Egyptian coffee drinkers. We bet on specialty coffee and the Egyptian consumer’s adventurous taste. Slowly but surely, they started to order V60s, and increasingly opted to choose the coffee their flat whites are made of,” he says. “The market will continue to grow as the coffee culture has become etched into our DNA and consumers are increasingly spending money on the affordable luxury of coffee.”
Although specialty coffee might be a more recent arrival, Egypt boasts one of the world’s oldest coffee cultures. As historian Ralph S. Hattox observes in his book, Coffee and Coffee Houses: The Origins of a Social Beverage in the Medieval Near East, pilgrims returning from Mecca first brought coffee to Cairo in the early 16th century. From Cairo, the beverage quickly spread across the Islamic world.
Today’s coffee drinker in Cairo, however, is looking for a more contemporary experience. “Historically, it was Turkish coffee,” says ays El-Khazindar. “But today it’s evolved. For the younger generations it’s the iced Spanish lattes, branding, and Instagrammable moments.”
The “Spanish latte” is a take on a cafe con leche that’s popular in the Gulf Coast countries. With many Egyptian baristas moving to places like Dubai for work, and brands like Kuwait’s CAF expanding to Egypt, it’s not surprising that the syrupy-sweet drink has entered Cairo’s coffee scene.
But El-Khazindar sees a growing interest in specialty coffee without the added ingredients.
“I’m still blown away by the number of sign-ups we get every time we announce coffee cupping sessions,” he says.
30 North’s GEM location is perhaps the most ambitious of the brand’s 11 cafes around Cairo. The expansive bar features two three-group Victoria Arduino Black Eagle espresso machines, three different espresso options, and a wide variety of manual brew methods. Although most of 30 North’s cafes are in found in residential areas that cater to Cairo’s middle class, 30 North’s GEM cafe is poised to introduce the brand to an international clientele.
“Naturally, our store at the Grand Egyptian Museum has a very special place in my heart. We’re proud to showcase local specialty coffee roasters to the world, highlighting local roasting expertise through our museum branch,” says El-Khazindar.
Judging by the half-dozen different languages Sprudge hears around the cafe, it’s already done just that.
After all, this might be the only coffee shop where one can drink a cup of specialty coffee while gazing at one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Architects Róisín Heneghan and Shih-Fu Peng designed the museum to offer panoramic views of the Pyramids of Giza, which are visible from 30 North’s patio seating.
“I get goosebumps every time I have my coffee across from the grand staircase,” says El-Khazindar.
Michael Butterworth is a coffee educator and consultant based in Istanbul, Turkey. Read more Michael Butterworth for Sprudge.
