Opportunities for Partnerships | Coffee from Yemen

After introductory statements by HE Mr. Peter-Derrek Hof (Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Yemen), HE Mrs. Sahar Ghanem (Ambassador of the Republic of Yemen to the Netherlands) and Mr. Han de Groot (NFP Interim Director) participants were introduced to the background of coffee production and trade in Yemen and findings of the recently conducted study.

After a short video about coffee production in the Bani Matar region, Mrs. Arzaq Al-Najjar (Mocha Valley) and Mr. Youri Dijkxhoorn (Wageningen Economic Research) illustrated the economic and cultural history of coffee production in Yemen and shared an overview of the coffee regions and current value chain. They also stressed the main challenges regarding the development of the coffee sector, such as improving the quantity and quality of production, quality assurance, water management, inclusion of women in value chain activities and organising a value chain for the international market. The presentation of the study proposed several short-term (improved farm management, quality upgrading, crop renovation), mid-term (training & extension, seedlings & tree density optimisation, cooperatives and associations) and long-term (tree renovation, postharvest management, local origin branding) approaches to contribute to the sector’s development. Subsequently, Mr. Maarten van Keulen (This Side Up Coffee) shared his perspective as an experienced Dutch coffee importer about international opportunities for Yemeni coffee. He emphasised considerations for specialty coffee producers and the most important aspects for successful marketing of specialty coffee: quality, price and storytelling.

Finally, Mr. Jan Pieter Ohler (First Secretary [Water, Gender and Private Sector Development] at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Yemen) closed off the event by stating Dutch ambitions to contribute to the development of the coffee sector in Yemen. He announced the intention to explore the establishment of a partnership that will validate the findings of the study in practice and called upon participants to join this initiative.

Want to know more about the coffee sector in Yemen? Or interested in joining the above mentioned initiative? Contact Ibrahim Palaz below.