Appoints Charl Badenhorst as Partner and Chief Growth Officer
With more than 25 years of experience across hospitality, franchising, and multi-market food and beverage operations, Charl joins RAW after holding senior leadership roles tied to major regional and international operators including Alshaya Group.
Founded 18 years ago as the UAE’s first specialty coffee roaster, RAW has evolved into a diversified beverage solutions business serving both B2B and B2C markets across the GCC.
Resilient platforms
“The opportunity today is no longer just about opening cafés. It’s about building resilient platforms, strong operational infrastructure, meaningful partnerships, and scalable systems that can support long-term growth. Bringing Charl into the partnership significantly strengthens our ability to execute on that vision,” stated Matt Toogood, CEO, RAW Coffee Company.
Charl joins founders Kim Thompson and Matt Toogood as equal partners with a focus on accelerating scalable growth across hospitality concepts, strategic partnerships, beverage distribution, and operational infrastructure.
“The business has strong operational foundations, trusted supplier relationships, and a deeply values-led culture. The opportunity now is to build on that foundation and help evolve RAW into a broader, regionally influential beverage and hospitality platform,” commented Badenhorst on his appointment.
