To start a coffee business in Bahrain, secure your license, premises, and food-safety approvals in this order: reserve a trade name and register the company on Sijilat with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, selecting the Café/Coffee Shop activity and the right form (W.L.L. or S.P.C.); add owners’ IDs, lease intent, and activity codes. Choose a high-footfall, municipality-zoned site and obtain a signed lease and landlord NOC before fit‑out; submit stamped floor plans to the Municipality for a shop license and to the General Directorate of Civil Defense for fire approval. Apply for Public Health Directorate food permits; ensure staff obtain food-handler health certificates, HACCP procedures, temperature logs, and pest-control contracts. If roasting or importing beans, add the industrial/import activity and register with Bahrain Customs; gas or roasting equipment requires extra Civil Defense clearance. Open a corporate bank account, register with the National Bureau for Revenue for VAT when turnover passes BHD 37,500, and onboard payroll with LMRA work visas and GOSI. Finalize a POS with card acceptance and BenefitPay, Arabic/English signage approval, waste and grease-trap plans, and liability insurance. Run soft-opening checks: brew standards, water filtration, preventive maintenance, cash controls, and supplier SLAs. Track KPIs from day one, weekly.
