SAN FRANCISCO, USA – Nine coffees scoring above 89 points are among the 28 finalists of the inaugural National Yemen Coffee Auction (NYCA), where they will head to an online auction on Wednesday, August 31st. Along with one 90+ point coffee, all of the finalist lots have an average score above 87 points. NYCA also lists the high score for each lot, with 17 of the 28 coffees scoring above 90 points from one of the independent judges.
To see full details of scores and coffee lots, visit nationalyemencoffeeauction.org.
The Mokha Institute (TMI) put together an international coalition of independent judges spanning 8 countries to evaluate the lots. These judges included:
- Omar Nazmi, Cairo Coffee Collective – Cairo, Egypt
- Joo Yeon, Momos Coffee – Busan, South Korea
- Charlie Chu, Momos Coffee – Busan, South Korea
- Ibrahim Al Mallouhi, Espresso Lab & Grandmother Roasters – Dubai, UAE
- Rahul Reddy, Subko Specialty Coffee Roasters – Mumbai, India
- Mohammed Behlim, Azura Coffee – Muscat, Oman
- Hiver van Geenhoven, Chromatic Coffee – San Jose, CA
- Ian Goodman, Goodman Coffee Roasters – Chattanooga, TN
- Rick Maas, Boot Koffie – The Netherlands
- Barend Boot, Boot Koffie – The Netherlands
- Barry Levine, Willoughby’s Coffee & Tea – Branford, CT
- Tamas Christmas, Dragonfly Coffee Roasters – Henderson, NV
- Tony Dangelo, Dangelo Coffee – Adelaide, Australia
“The primary goal of the Mokha Institute is to facilitate a mass market shift in Yemen’s coffee industry toward specialty,” said Mokhtar Alkhanshali, Co-Founder of The Mokha Institute. “These scores, more than anything for me, just solidify my belief that we can really do it. These farmers and exporters, who submitted their coffees from all over Yemen have proven to the world that this project matters to them. And that they believe in the power of coffee to transform their lives and economies.”
The National Yemen Coffee Auction is a collaboration between the Union of Yemeni Coffee Farmer cooperatives, Yemen’s Unity of Coffee Organization, Yemeni Coffee Exporters Association, and The Mokha Institute. The auction will be held through an online platform that will list the coffee lots for sale to allow buyers from around the world to submit their bids on these exceptional Yemini specialty coffee lots.
The NYCA fulfills a desire echoed throughout coffee communities in Yemen:
to see a national public auction organized to unify and amplify the voice of Yemen’s coffee community. The Mokha Institute aims to enhance and promote economic growth, create a market for Yemeni coffee producers to directly engage international buyers, and enable the expansion of the market for Yemeni coffee.
While there have been several successful private auctions in Yemen, The National Yemen Coffee Auction is Yemen’s first ever public national auction.
Private auctions in Yemen are where a private company coordinator buys lots at a fixed price from farmers and then these lots will then go to an auction. The proceeds from that auction will then go to the private company coordinator.
The National Yemen Coffee Auction, by contrast, functions by allowing farmers and exporters to submit their coffees directly and not go through a middleman. The auction winnings go directly to the farmer or exporter who submitted the coffee.
The NYCA will not only amplify the profile of Yemeni coffee internationally but improve the quality of coffee and increase the opportunities for education and training for coffee producers and exporters. Intentionally, it will unify all national efforts and initiatives to develop the coffee sector in Yemen and to market and promote Yemini coffee at fair prices.
To learn more visit nationalyemencoffeeauction.org.
The Mokha Institute
The Mokha Institute (TMI) is a nonprofit organization with offices in northern California and Yemen. TMI’s mission is to empower coffee communities with industry expertise, training and education, and providing holistic livelihood support.
