FLAVOUR PROFILE

Plum, Apricot Jam, Caramel, Spice

Story Behind the Coffee

<p>Ghailan Saad belongs to Bani Ofair, a village in the Ans region of Dhamar. Coffee, to him, is the most important thing in his life, even beyond the dependency on income. He has been surrounded by coffee trees since he was born, and it was only natural that he took after his forefathers.</p><p><br></p><p>Being able to qualify for the auction deeply excites him, as does the prospect of showcasing his produce to the world. “I am very happy and proud to know that my coffee is being promoted around the world. It motivates me to keep investing in my coffee. My life has changed a lot since I got introduced to specialty coffee. Today, I know the buyers of my coffee, where they’re from, and have a relationship with them where they know me too.”</p><p><br></p><p>He narrates his story further: “Before, middlemen used to make us invisible, we never knew how much our coffee was worth and when they didn't want to pay us well they'd say that the market was not favourable. That led many farmers to leave coffee and sometimes their village to seek better opportunities elsewhere.&nbsp;</p><p><br></p><p>Today we feel comfortable to grow our production, last year our village alone planted 3000 new coffee trees. We shifted our focus from processing the coffee and chasing middlemen to simply planting, growing and caring for the trees. We should have been doing this years ago!&nbsp; We hope the world appreciates our coffee as we struggle to grow it but the reward for it is unique.”</p><p><br></p><p>Beyond coffee, Saad feels strongly about education. “Our students are still learning in a yard under trees. Some day, I would like to start a school for the kids of the village and the villages near Wadi Al Manshyiah in Bani Ofair.”&nbsp;<br></p>