A new lifestyle coffee shop serving  organic coffee and tea menu, nutritious food options as well as the world’ first natural zero calorie sweetener, has opened in Dubai.

Icons Coffee Couture, at Souk Al Bahar, is the brainchild of German model Elena Weber and  is all set to change the way we think about our diet and daily caffeine fix by blending high fashion, healthy living and philanthropy into a unique brand.

After thoroughly researching the market and looking at each and every health secret and diets while using this knowledge to combine the best ingredients and micro nutrition-rich super foods, Icons  has designed a menu that will help detox the body, improve the immune system and provide super delicious healthy assortment of food and drinks.

“We are so glad to finally present our unique concept of luxurious, fashionable and guilt-free Coffee chain with its first outlet in UAE to the world,” said Weber, founder and CEO.

“With the launch of Icons, we have achieved a great milestone of launching world’s first ever coffee shop with Stevia-only menu.  Stevia is touted as the sweetener of choice for diabetics, and a suitable alternative to sugar for those looking to engage in a healthier lifestyle.”

“With high prevalence of obesity and diabetes in UAE and the region plus with more people dying of heart and lifestyle diseases than because of hunger, it felt only appropriate to look for an option which can provide the same great taste for our sweet and coffee cravings yet can be low on calories providing essential health benefits.

“It’s been my dream to create something meaningful for the society and we wish to bring a healthy change more so a health movement with our exclusive concept. After all, who does not want to enjoy something sweet without feeling guilty afterwards,” she added.

“After rigorous research and with the help of our master pâtissier Stefan Kopetz, we have worked on a new style of menu, re-inventing all of our recipes as Stevia is 300 times sweeter than the regular sugar and it bakes in a different way,” Weber explained.

“Stefan is pastry chef of Bayern Munich FC and a man with a reputation for having wooed a host of celebrities including football player Philipp Lahm, singer Sarah Connor and the boxing Klitschko brothers with his sensational sweets and desserts. The Frappuccino’s and Hot Chocolates at Icons are just between 150 - 250 calories, compared with 750 calories otherwise available in the market, you can even enjoy a second cup purely guilt free.”

Weber and team worked on developing the brand for two years prior to launching the idea in the market, in order to establish a franchise model with strong systems, procedures and a unique finance scheme that would make it highly appealing to potential franchisees located in the region and internationally.

“We have received a lot of interest to date from the GCC region in particular, where, due to the high prevalence of diabetes, healthy eating is a topical issue. We have already signed franchise agreements for six UAE outlets and are looking at several possible master franchise agreements,” Weber said.

“We also have enquiries from Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Turkey and Kazakhstan,” she added. – TradeArabia News Service