War, starvation and no support: The struggle behind Qima, London’s rarest coffee

Qima coffee sells out almost as soon as it goes on sale, but it’s farmed in war-torn Yemen
Pressure: farmers in Yemen are, on average, supporting a household of 11
Qima
Ghazal Abbasi18 March 2021

At £15 a cup, it was little surprise Qima coffee made headlines when it was first sold in Alain Ducasse’s Kings Cross Café. But the price did not deter people – in fact, the Yemeni coffee sold out, drawing praise from connoisseurs including Square Mile Coffee Roasters man James Hoffmann and Darrin Daniels, the executive director of the Alliance for Coffee Excellence.

Now, with stocks gone across the capital, there’s only one place to get your hands on the sought-after coffee: the upcoming Amal Yemen event, going online in April, where it’s set to be auctioned for charity.

Part of the draw is the work Qima do to sustain the livelihoods of small hold farmers in war-torn Yemen. The group work directly with farmers to ensure they receive a realistic living income for their household.

“Some farmers will have a tiny garden where they grow their coffee and this needs to provide for their large families,” said Faris Sheibani, Qima’s chief executive. In fact, on average, each farmer’s household has 11 family members.

War torn: in spite of the beauty, Yemen is facing a humanitarian crisis
Qima

By setting the price point high, farmers can gain a yearly income from their coffee yield. Yemen is in the midst of what the UN terms “the world’s worst humanitarian crisis” with regular air-strikes and attacks, thousands dead and nearly 10 million people at risk of famine.

“Setting up a business in such a politically charged country was really difficult,” said Sheibani. “I remember getting off the flight to Yemen and having to go through countless military check points, guarded by men with AK-47s”.

At a time where the civil war has broken the economy, Qima coffee has established links with more than 2900 small hold farmers across the country, and supports them in both growing and processing the beans, which can be costly. “Farmers can’t afford this equipment, so Qima has focused on putting processing structures in place. This in turn drives the value of the coffee because we can ensure quality and consistency.”

Despite the difficult circumstances, Qima discovered a new genetic type of coffee while working alongside the farmers, which has since been branded “Yemenia”. For Sheibani, the novelty of the coffee combined with Qima’s story is what makes it sell out as soon as it is put on the market, with consumers increasingly looking not only for quality, but at a product’s origin.

“London is a beacon of innovation, as well as a centre of coffee excellence in Europe,” he says, “It’s the perfect place to bring new ideas and products.”

Ultimately, Sheibani says, Qima’s dedication to the farmers in Yemen – at a time when they need it most – means that customers have come to embrace the hefty price tag for cup of coffee Ducasse once dubbed “perfect”.

The Amal Yemen auction is on April 9 and more information can be found here.

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