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The Best of Yemen 2024 auction has set a new global benchmark for Yemeni coffee, achieving a record-breaking price of US$1,159 per kilogram and highlighting the critical role of Yemen’s female farmers.
With 36 per cent of the lots cultivated by women and the introduction of honey-processed coffees, the auction celebrated both “exceptional quality and significant milestones in Yemen’s coffee industry”.
This year’s instalment of the Best of Yemen auction showcased the resilience of Yemeni coffee trees, which may hold the key to future-proofing the world’s coffee crops amid climate change.
With rainfall levels between 244 and 379 millimetres per year – far below the global coffee-growing average of 1,400 millimetres – most experts would say coffee cultivation is impossible in Yemen, yet its coffee “not only survives but thrives”.
For the first time, 13 out of 36 of the lots in the Best of Yemen auction were produced by Yemeni women farmers. The top lot, which fetched a record price of US$1,159 per kilogram, was produced by a women’s farming group from Al Hayma Al Dakhiliya, Sanaa.
This achievement is said to represent a monumental milestone for Yemeni women in agriculture and reflects a growing recognition of their vital role within the coffee community.
“I feel an overwhelming sense of joy. I had been waiting anxiously for news of the auction, never having sold our coffee outside of Yemen. The auction felt like a fantasy, I never imagined my coffee would be recognised or requested beyond Yemen,” says Katibah, one of the farmers from the community of Hayme Dakhliya.
The Best of Yemen 2024 auction set new records, with the top lot scoring over 90 points, selling for US$1,159 per kilogram – said to be the highest price ever achieved for Yemeni coffee.
The winning bid was placed by ORO Roasters from Saudi Arabia, highlighting the increasing involvement of Middle Eastern roasters, while the auction’s average price reached US$369 per kilogram.
For the first time, honey-processed coffees appeared in the auction. Honey processing requires no water usage and is combined with carbonic maceration. This process honours Yemen’s environmental constraints while adding diversity to the coffee profiles.
“These achievements reflect the hard work and dedication of Yemen’s coffee farmers, who continue to produce some of the finest coffees despite the challenges they face. Yemen has always been a coffee pioneer, and this auction reaffirms its place on the global stage,” says Faris Sheibani, Founder of Qima Coffee.
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