My name is Qahwa, and I am a Yemeni coffee bean.
I was born on a centuries-old terrace carved into the mountains of Haraz — a place where the clouds touch the earth and where time moves slower than anywhere else.
The first thing I remember is the cold morning breeze. It kissed my tiny red cherry as I hung proudly from the branch of a tree older than the electricity poles in the nearest village.
My mother — the coffee tree — whispered:
“Grow slowly, my little one.
The world waits for you.”
And so I did.
I grew in volcanic soil, nourished only by sunlight, rainwater, and the prayers of the farmer who visited every sunrise.
Handpicked by the Farmer Who Loved Me
One morning, I felt a warm hand wrap gently around my cherry.
It was Yousef, the farmer.
He examined me carefully, smiled, and said:
“Perfect. Just perfect.”
Not all cherries were picked that day.
Only the ripest, sweetest, deepest red berries.
We were chosen one by one — a tradition older than any modern coffee machine.
I felt proud.
I knew my journey was just beginning.
Sun-Dried on a Rooftop Made of Stone
Yousef carried us to his family’s rooftop — a flat stone surface warmed by the Yemeni sun.
There, we spent 18 days drying naturally.
Some days were peaceful and warm.
Other days sudden mountain winds tried to push us away, but Yousef protected us with a woven mat.
He turned us twice a day with his hands, whispering:
“You’ll go far. Maybe to America, maybe to Korea…
Maybe even farther.”
I dreamed of that.
Chosen by Sand Coffee
After we were perfectly dried, we were delivered to Sand Coffee — a company known for selecting only the most authentic Yemeni beans.
Their buyer examined us and said:
“This micro-lot is extraordinary.
The flavor is going to amaze roasters.”
We were sorted by size, shape, and density.
Every defective bean was removed.
Only the best of us continued the journey.
I was among them.
Across the Sea — Into the World
Packed carefully in GrainPro bags, we traveled across deserts, roads, airports, and oceans.
When the crate opened, I heard new voices:
“This is Yemeni?
Look at the density… the aroma!”
We had arrived in a specialty coffee roastery.
The head roaster roasted a small sample of us — and when he smelled the fragrance, he whispered:
“Incredible.
Berries… honey… chocolate… floral notes…
This is what coffee once tasted like.”
Customers lined up to try a single cup.
Some cried.
Some smiled.
Some said it was the best coffee they had ever tasted.
At that moment, I knew:
I had finally reached my destiny.
From a mountain terrace in Yemen…
to a cup held by someone who appreciated every step of my journey.
The Story Behind Every Cup
Every Yemeni bean carries:
✔ centuries of heritage
✔ the touch of a farmer
✔ the warmth of the sun
✔ the purity of mountain soil
✔ and a journey like mine
When you drink Yemeni coffee, you drink a story —
a story of survival, passion, and beauty.
And through Sand Coffee, these stories continue to find their way around the world.