Where It All Began
Long before coffee became the world's beloved beverage, it grew wild in the ancient terraced mountains of Yemen. This is where coffee's story truly begins—not just as a crop, but as a cultural treasure that would change the world forever.
Yemen is the original birthplace of coffee cultivation. While coffee plants originated in Ethiopia, it was in Yemen where coffee was first cultivated, roasted, and brewed into the drink we know today. The port city of Mocha (Al Mokha) became so synonymous with coffee that it gave its name to the beloved mocha variety.
For centuries, Yemen held a monopoly on coffee cultivation, and the beans that left the port of Mocha were the only coffee the world knew. These precious beans traveled along ancient trade routes, reaching the Ottoman Empire, Europe, and beyond—sparking a global coffee revolution.
