Asian Coffee Growing Regions: Yemen Premium Coffee Bean Production Areas

Mocha Mattari

Early Yemeni coffee beans were mainly exported from the port of Mocha, which is why later all coffee exported from here was named Mocha.

Among Yemeni coffee beans, Mattari and Sanani are the most famous varieties. Mattari has a richer taste with strong fruit acidity and cocoa flavors, while Sanani offers a more balanced taste and aroma.

Yemeni coffee beans belong to the Arabica species. Generally, Mocha beans are smaller in size compared to average coffee beans, looking quite different from other larger coffee beans. However, despite their small size, they possess distinctive characteristics, especially their prominent fruit acidity, which often serves as a flavor-enhancing role in coffee blends. No wonder they are compared to red wine among coffees, with their aroma and acidity leaving a particularly memorable impression.

I. History of Yemeni Coffee

(I) Origin of Mocha Coffee

Within Yemen, coffee growing areas are widely distributed. These coffees vary in quality and taste with distinct characteristics. However, historically, all these coffees were shipped for export from the port of Mocha in Yemen to markets worldwide, so they are collectively known as Mocha coffee. The port of Mocha is located on the Red Sea coast north of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, approximately 100 kilometers by land from Aden. Additionally, because coffee grown in northeastern African countries like Ethiopia shares the same roots as Yemeni coffee, it is also collectively called Mocha coffee.

Yemen was the world's first country to cultivate coffee on a large scale, with a long history. As early as the early 6th century AD, when coffee spread from the Horn of Africa to Yemen, Yemenis began to widely cultivate coffee as an economic crop.

International trade in Mocha coffee began in the early 16th century. At that time, the Turkish royal court began to drink Mocha coffee from Yemen. In 17th-century Portuguese ship archives, there are also records about Mocha coffee. Portuguese sailors, after long voyages, came to the port of Mocha on the Red Sea coast for supplies. Local tribal leaders treated them with a black beverage they had never seen before. This drink had a unique aroma and was invigorating, very popular among the sailors.

In the early 17th century, the Dutch were the first to establish coffee trading companies, and coffee began to be exported from the port of Mocha to Europe. In Western European markets from Amsterdam to Paris, Mocha coffee was extremely popular. For about the next two hundred years, Yemeni Mocha coffee almost monopolized the entire European market. With the development of coffee trade, the port of Mocha also rapidly developed from an unknown fishing village into an emerging port city.

However, from the 19th century onwards, coffee seeds brought back by European sailors were successfully propagated, and countries like the Netherlands, France, and Portugal began to plant coffee in their colonies, gradually far exceeding Yemen in quantity. European powers controlled and monopolized the coffee trade, causing the continuous decline of Mocha port's coffee export industry. Despite this, in the early 20th century, Yemen's annual coffee export volume could still reach about 20,000 tons. Today, the original site of Mocha port has long been abandoned, and Yemeni Mocha coffee exports are mainly handled through the port of Hodeidah in the north.

(II) Characteristics of Mocha Coffee

Yemenis have had the habit of drinking coffee since ancient times, with a coffee culture completely different from other parts of the world. In Yemen, there are many middlemen engaged in coffee acquisition and storage. Each year, newly acquired coffee is not rushed to market. Coffee-growing farmers also treat coffee as a means of savings and hoard it at home. What actually enters the market is often coffee beans that have been stored for several years. Due to Yemen's arid climate with little rainfall, these coffee beans have very low moisture content, which also creates the very unique taste of Yemeni coffee.

The Red Sea coastal plain in western Yemen has climate and soil conditions unsuitable for coffee cultivation. Coffee growing areas are mainly in the western mountains. Mocha coffee grows in mountains at 3,000 meters altitude, where the geographical environment is unique, with rugged mountains, thin air, strong sunlight, and water coming from rainfall and mountain springs. These conditions create the special aroma and taste of Mocha coffee. Local farmers have carved out fertile terraces on the mountainsides. Until today, the method of growing coffee in these areas remains the same as three or four hundred years ago, completely relying on manual labor, without any fertilizers or pesticides, producing pure natural Yemeni coffee through sunlight, rain, and unique soil. In fact, coffee grown in Haiti, Ethiopia, and the West Indies shares the same lineage as Yemeni coffee, with many also being called Mocha coffee. However, for various reasons, their taste and aroma are completely different from Mocha coffee produced in Yemen.

Yemeni coffee harvesting and processing are also completely done by hand. The preliminary processing of coffee beans uses the dry method, naturally air-dried under sunlight. This method is the most primitive and simple, without any machinery or washing, so sometimes Yemeni coffee beans may contain small amounts of sand and small stones. Currently, only Brazil, Haiti, and a few regions in India still use the dry method to process coffee beans. The coffee roasting process is also completely done by hand, with the degree of roasting entirely dependent on experience and feeling. From cultivation, harvesting to roasting, every process is completed using the most ancient methods. Although this results in unevenly colored coffee beans, it is precisely this rugged and wild aromatic flavor that creates the unique Yemeni Mocha coffee. No wonder some people call Mocha "the diamond on the crown of Asian coffee."

Yemeni coffee has different names according to their specific production areas. There are thirteen main varieties, and although their tastes and aromas vary slightly, they are collectively called Mocha. Among the most famous varieties are Sanani, Mattari, and Harazi, mainly distributed in the mountains around the capital Sanaa and the high-altitude mountainous areas between Sanaa and Hodeidah province. Yemeni Mocha coffee beans are small, dense, with high acidity and unique aroma. Compared to other famous coffee varieties, they have stronger acidity, with mixed flavors of malt, nuts, wine, chocolate, and other spices, with a smooth taste and fragrant aroma.

II. Current Development Status of Yemen's Coffee Industry

(I) Continuous Decline in Total Production in Recent Years

Since 2001, due to various reasons, Yemen's coffee production has declined year by year. From an annual production of 11,906 tons in 2001, it decreased to 11,608 tons in 2003 and 11,590 tons in 2004. By 2008, it had dropped to around 11,000 tons. In recent years, despite continuous rising international coffee market prices, Yemen's coffee industry has not prospered accordingly but has shrunk dramatically. The reasons for reduced coffee production mainly lie in two aspects.

First, water shortage and soil degradation. Water scarcity has become a serious constraint on Yemen's economic and social development. Coffee cultivation mainly relies on rainwater and mountain springs, lacking irrigation facilities, with low water efficiency and greatly affected by climate uncertainty. Soil degradation and soil erosion are serious, with land fertility and productivity both weakening.

Second, farmers have abandoned coffee cultivation in favor of planting qat. Coffee has a long growth cycle, high costs, and difficult management, while qat cultivation is simple, has a short growth period, and strong demand, so many farmers have converted their original coffee fields to grow qat. While coffee cultivation area has decreased, qat cultivation area has increased year by year. The shrinking coffee cultivation area and continuous decline in production, combined with Yemen's water scarcity and pest problems, have further exacerbated the situation for coffee cultivation.

(II) Low Production of High-Quality Mocha Coffee, Lack of Quality Standards

Although Yemen's annual Mocha coffee production exceeds 10,000 tons, only about 15%-20% can meet the import standards of developed countries.

Yemen's coffee cultivation history is very long, but the coffee industry has always been in a disorganized, extensive development stage. Due to scattered cultivation, basically all are small-scale household workshops, which leads to great differences in coffee quality. Coffee bean harvesting, drying, and roasting processes and operational techniques lack unified standards and specifications. Hand-processed coffee easily changes color, has a high breakage rate, and inconsistent moisture content. Farmers' coffee cultivation and processing techniques are passed down through generations, not only inefficient but also unscientific, far lagging behind the development trends of the international coffee market.

At the same time, Yemen currently has no coffee appraisal standards and quality control systems, nor does it test and classify coffee quality according to international practices. Lack of effective quality assurance for coffee is very detrimental to entering developed country markets, and even some unscrupulous merchants substitute coffee from other countries and regions, processing it to pass off as Yemeni Mocha coffee. There is still a long way to go to improve Yemeni coffee quality and enhance market competitiveness.

(III) Shrinking Coffee Exports

Coffee once ranked among the top export commodities in Yemen, but with large-scale oil development and fisheries development, coffee's status as a major export commodity has declined year by year, from the top five a decade ago to twenty-third or twenty-fourth place in recent years.

Since 2001, Yemen's coffee production has declined for four consecutive years, and coffee exports have also been severely hit by the production decline.

In 2005, Yemen's Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation proposed a plan to plant one million coffee trees within one year. With the strong support of the Ministry, the government increased investment in coffee cultivation, actively encouraged farmers to plant coffee trees, and adopted a series of promotional measures, including building water conservancy facilities and promoting cultivation techniques, hoping to develop coffee production and earn foreign exchange through exports.

Under these measures, in recent years, coffee production and exports have recovered and developed to some extent. Table 1 shows statistical data on raw coffee bean export values. From the table, it can be seen that since 2006, the declining trend of raw coffee bean exports has been contained and begun to rise. The export value in 2007 was already close to the 2003 level. However, overall, the proportion of coffee in Yemen's export commodity composition remains relatively low, and it has not fully leveraged its coffee brand advantages and potential.

Table 1: Raw Coffee Export Value Table

Data Source: Yemen Central Statistical Organization (2008)

(IV) Export Structure Dominated by Raw Materials and Semi-finished Products

Over 90% of Yemen's coffee exports are coffee beans, with processed coffee powder accounting for no more than 10%. Yemen's coffee exports are mainly unprocessed and primarily processed products, with weak deep processing capabilities. The value and added value of deep processing are much greater than primary processed products, which seriously affects the overall quality and revenue of coffee trade.

(V) Lack of Modern National Enterprises and Sales Channels

The main entities in Yemen's coffee production and operation are extremely scattered farmers, lacking circulation enterprises that can organize farmers and have operational and sales capabilities. The few national coffee enterprises are small in scale, lack competitiveness, and do not have strong brands. This backward situation of decentralized operation cannot form economies of scale, is even more unfavorable for reducing costs and rationally allocating resources, and severely restricts the development of the coffee industry.

III. Prospects for Yemen's Coffee Industry

According to the International Coffee Organization's (ICO) forecast, affected by the international financial crisis, as consumers in developed Western countries begin to cut spending, demand for high-end coffee has begun to be suppressed, while high-quality, affordable single-origin coffee remains in short supply. If Yemeni coffee can seize the opportunity, fully promote its organic, pollution-free characteristics, and leverage its advantages of excellent quality and affordable price, there is still room for upward development.

Yemen should start by supporting its domestic coffee enterprises, establish a more market-oriented coffee circulation and sales system, improve coffee production techniques, enhance and stabilize coffee quality, improve product appearance and packaging, strengthen advertising and promotion, and enhance brand image. It must take the path of high added value and brand operation.

Only by leaving its place of origin and exploring international markets can Yemeni Mocha coffee fully realize its value. This means that Yemen's coffee industry, while based in its home country and striving to grow stronger, must also focus on the broader international market, with exports as the target and orientation, to achieve greater development.

Recommended Yemeni Coffee Bean Brands

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