Yemen Al Qafr Hawari

Hawari is from small holder coffee farmers in Al-Qafr District, within the Ibb Governorate, due south of Sana'a. "Hawari" is the name given to the local heirloom in the town of the same name (sometimes spelled "Hiwar"). This lot was secured through Fatoum Muslot, who runs the family coffee business, Pearl of Tehama, started by her father back in the 1950s. Fatoum has set up a buying project in this region (and several others) where they are currently buying from 131 local farmers. Coffee is grown organically, though without certification. Fertilizer typically used is some sort of mixture of composted animal manure and leaves, and most of the pest control is handled with old techniques like smoking wood. The coffee is grown in hot, arid conditions, and trees produce very little coffee in comparison to what you see in most other coffee growing regions. Cherries are harvested and dried on roof tops, which creates a patchwork of color when looking down at the coffee towns from above. Fatoum's family have long exported Yemeni coffee, and since Fatoum has started managing the group, she has worked to implement practices such as more stringent hand sorting and using Ecotact storage bags in order to directly affect their coffee's overall quality. We're quite pleased with the physical condition of both coffees we bought from Fatoum this year, the lack of underripe coffee and shipping in Ecotact liners has really benefitted the resulting cup quality. During their long history in the coffee trade they've forged connections with farming groups in several growing regions, and because of these connections, are able to buy coffee in a more direct way. Since the war broke out in 2014, the fighting has had devastating effects on the people of Yemen, and unfathomable loss of life. It's also stifled the movement of coffee to some degree, which has it's own negative impact on the livelihood of small farmers. The situation there is still quite dire, and I'm amazed that anything is making it out of the country. Read our interview with Fatoum Mouslot from 2020.