Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/1542133
42 STiR coffee and tea | 2025 Quarter 4 Winter (Dec/Jan/Feb) Y SAUDI ARABIA SOMALIA ETHIOPIA DJIBOUTI ERITREA OMAN Red Sea Gulf of Aden Arabian Sea AI Mokha YEMEN Sana'a AL JAWF SHABWAH AL MAHRAH HADRAMAWT ABYAN TA'IZZ Yemeni Coffee: Reclaiming an Ancient Legacy By Mainbayar Badarch emen's coffee legacy has deep roots. Known as the world's first major coffee producer and exporter, the country's esteemed coffee heritage seemed lost to the annals of history. However, despite civil war, fractured governments, and an almost incomprehensible value chain, the last decade has witnessed a massive resurgence in quality and appreciation for Yemeni coffee. Driven by a return to ancient cultivation practices and investment in specialty coffee production techniques that yield uniquely complex flavors, Yemen is finally reclaiming its rightful place on the global coffee stage. After decades of stagnation, the Yemeni coffee industry is being revitalized from the ground up — showing the world the uniqueness and exceptional quality of its coffee. Photo credit: Mocha Hunters The average Yemeni typically drinks qishr, a type of tea made from the spent coffee husks and peels. Photo credit: Mocha Hunters For nearly two centuries, the port of Al Mokha was a major hub for the global coffee trade and gave its name to the famous high altitude "mocha" beans from the region. Navigating Yemen's Coffee Labryinth To achieve global recognition and suc- cess in premium markets such as the US and Japan, exporters must first traverse Yemen's exceedingly complex coffee value chain. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN and the Interna- tional Finance Corporation released a re- search report titled "Coffee Value Chain in Yemen" in May, which describes the almost medieval system that Yemeni cof- fee professionals tackle daily. According to the report, governance of the coffee value chain is fragmented across the mandates of various govern- ment organizations, resulting in bureau- cratic complexity and limited government support for the sector. Governance of coffee production falls under the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, while mat- ters related to trading and exporting fall under the Ministry of Industry and Trade. The civil conflict that began in 2014 has divided the country into two warring parties and governments. Yemen's severe- ly impacted and weakened institutional setup forces coffee value chain stakehold- ers to contend with two governments and two taxation systems, with regulations and policies that frequently conflict.