Aden: A journey deep into Yemen's ancient mountains and sun-kissed slopes leads you to the southwestern Arab Peninsula nation's renowned coffee plantations, churning out an earthy and aromatic coffee that at one point dominated the international market.
According to Kuwait News Agency, often referred to as the "Mother of all Coffees," Yemen's renowned coffee beans take you on a journey through the port of Mocha, an ancient Red Sea port crucial to coffee trade from the 15th to 17th centuries. This is where the first beans for the modern-day chocolate variation of caffe latte were grown.
At a time when the impoverished nation is mired in conflict and unrest, it is practically impossible for the government to provide updated statistics on coffee production, the last of which showed a cultivation figure of 22,000 tons across 36,000 hectares of land.
Employing techniques in line with conventional and historic methods, Yemeni farmers cultivate coffee on steep slopes and high-altitude mountains, resulting in a natural product free of chemical residues. This offers a lifeline to rural families that depend on coffee cultivation for a living.
In a testament to its ingenuity and quality, the Yemeni government last March submitted a bid to nominate the country's rich coffee culture for UNESCO's Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. This is an effort to garner global recognition while simultaneously aiming for a global resurgence.
Restoring Yemeni coffee to the upper echelons of the international market remains a difficult task. This challenge is partly due to the need for vigorous marketing at a time when the production of a green stimulant drug known as Qat accounts for the lion's share of the country's agricultural resources.
On the factors behind the regression of Yemeni coffee, the head of a national coffee club, Hashem Numaan, cited various reasons. Chief among them is the dominance of Qat production coupled with the lack of state support, which primarily entails providing farmers with the proper agricultural infrastructure.
He lamented a bygone era where Yemeni coffee production was the "pulse" of the national economy, accounting for some 80 percent of national exports. However, with a sense of optimism, he believes renewed investment can bring back Yemeni coffee to its heyday.
Despite a civil war that has raged on for more than a decade, he clings to a glimmer of hope that Yemeni coffee can return to international prominence again. This can start with putting in place the proper infrastructure for a coffee production boom, which is possible thanks to rising global demand.
Going far beyond the notion of a warm beverage, Yemenis view their coffee as a cultural, civil, and spiritual emblem. With state backing and international support, Yemen can once again become a powerhouse for coffee production.