Coffee In Yemen | Article Link

photo link credit: sprudge.com, courtesy of Mokhtar Alkhanshali

Sprudge released an excellent piece today on Yemeni coffee. For those who don't know, Yemen is widely believed to be the first commercial producer of coffee, at least insofar as the modern world consumes it (Coffee history is somewhat speculative, and for the most part predates any surviving written documents). Yemen is a land that has undergone incredible turmoil over the years, and most recently political upheaval and violence has cause most countries to remove dignitaries and companies to evacuate non-Yemeni staff.

Left behind in all of this are farmers who face amazing challenges to bring their coffees to market. From talking with friends in the coffee industry, it sound like many coffee farmers have done their best to avoid the downward spiral of events and are working hard to provide for their families, despite an ever more dangerous environment.

I had the opportunity to cup through a few Yemen coffees at this year's SCAA trade show last month in Seattle. These coffees truly have a beautiful taste profile that is all their own and current events are posing a big danger to the long-term viability of this unique growing region.

Take a few moments to read Evan Gilman's well written article on Sprudge: Coffee In Yemen: Past, Present And Future

Mokhtar Alkhanshali (center) with fresh Yemeni coffee cherries. Photo Credit: Sprudge.com