Port of Mokha produces some of the world's most highly rated and exclusive coffees from Yemen, available at Blue Bottle and select specialty roasters worldwide. We provide Yemen's ancient coffee to the world by empowering farmers with the knowledge and tools to improve the quality of their coffees and lives. Unknown to many, Yemen was the first country to cultivate and commercialize coffee. As such, most coffee beans trace back to Yemen. Dozens of heirloom and ancient varietals can be found here and nowhere else. For centuries, Yemen had a monopoly on coffee: exporting seedlings was punishable by death. Today's world coffee growth can be traced back to 7 beans smuggled out of the country. Our founder Mokhtar began his journey surveying all 32 coffee producing regions in Yemen and returning with the first single-origin lots to come out of Yemen in decades. As the only Arab Q grader (master coffee sommelier), he was able to evaluate the coffees and identified the very first regions he would begin working with farmers as a coffee interventionist. The willingness to work collectively and the openness to change farming and processing practices were a vital condition for this work. Mokhtar began by strengthening cooperatives and mandating that women make up at least half of their boards. This was especially important given that 75% of Yemen’s farmers are women. He built the first modern drying beds in Yemen and provided the cooperatives with the most advanced technology, including moisture analyzers. From pre-harvest training (including organic fertilizer) to harvesting best practices (including red-cherry picking and pruning) to even drying and storage protocols. The training was quality-focused and drew upon ancient Yemeni farming wisdoms that weren't passed down and best practices from the world’s best farms. It was highly nuanced—for example, by extending the drying period from 5-6 days to 18 days, the embryo inside the coffee bean lives longer and continues to convert starches to sugars for a longer period of time, producing brighter and cleaner coffees. Port of Mokha's coffee has consistently been the highest scoring coffee on any cupping table, even when it’s shared with the world’s most expensive and award-winning coffees. Some have said it's the best coffee the world has ever seen. We also provide interest-free micro loans directly to cooperatives and farmers to fight predatory loan sharks and break the poverty cycle. Our farmers earned 33%+ more than they ever had working in coffee. This allows us to present growing coffee as a substitute for farmers growing qat, a cash crop that uses 35% of Yemen’s water resources (Yemen is projected to run out of water as early as 2017) and is considered an illegal drug in most countries.
Take a journey to the world's
most exquisite coffee
Subscribe Monthly
An exclusive sampling of our favorite, small-batch lots. Roasted and delivered to your door each month.
Subscribe
OR
Shop Products
Experience our award winning coffees, from single farmer lots in the mountains of Yemen, direct to your home.
Shop
Coffee worth risking
your life for
Experience the story of how Mokhtar escaped Yemen by boat to introduce his coffee to the world.
The Story
This heartwarming story of a man who surmounts immense obstacles to start his own coffee company is what certified literary good guy Dave Eggers does best: a true account of a scrappy underdog, told in a lively, accessible style.
Read about Mokhtar's story in The Monk of Mokha
See Our Values
An exquisitely composed Yemen coffee, almost other-worldly in its array of fruit and floral notes, all enveloped in a crisp chocolate.
The Coffee Review
97 Points
ROASTED BY Tamas Christman
CEO OF DRAGONFLY ROASTERS
See Praise
Port of Mokha is utterly unique...What Mokhtar has done, immersing himself in war-torn Yemen, takes real courage; to return with treasures is something of a miracle.
George Howell
Specialty Coffee Pioneer
See Praise
This is what angels singing tastes like.
James Freeman
Founder of Blue Bottle Coffee
See Praise
Mokhtar and the Port of Mohka team are going where no one has dared to go...and through their passion and dedication are producing some of the best coffee in the world.
Brooke McDonnell
Founder of Equator Coffee
See Praise
"The most expensive and critically-acclaimed coffee in America, maybe the world."
"After the first three sips, I was one-hundred percent sure it was the best coffee I'd ever tasted."
"Port of Mokha Coffee Is Worth Every Penny."
"Connoisseurs will note hints of dried strawberry, coffee blossom and crystallin."
"Caffeine enthusiasts rejoice."
See Press
Our Coffees
Shop All
Home Shop Story Team
Mokha Foundation Press Roasters Contact
Shop
Subscribe
Story
Roasters
Press
Cart
0

Your cart

Total
Shipping and discount codes are added at checkout.
Follow our unprecedented journey