Yemen
Sabcomeed
For our classic Yemeni Mokha coffees, we work directly with Abdulrahman Hayel Saeed and his “Mokha not Mocha” operation; a relationship that begun in 2019 under the Sabcomeed name. Their primary aims are to promote and market the quality of Yemeni specialty coffee, to develop relationships between small coffee producers - within the distinct coffee growing regions - and roasters, to invest in processing and drying facilities, and to increase the income to these producers and communities. Yemen is one of the most historical of all coffee producing origins, and has the advantage of very high, rugged altitudes, and heritage arabica varietals. Many of the coffees are sun-dried naturals, delivering fruity, chocolaty, full-bodied profiles. Haraz is traditionally one of the most famous sources of Yemeni coffee, producing “Mokha Haraz”, and being a mountainous region, with a particularly high altitude, between Sana’a and Al[1]Hudaydah.
Ethiopia
Ashenafi Argaw & Ardent Coffee
Ashenafi Argaw is renowned for his experience in sourcing, selecting and processing specialty coffees, and for pushing the boundaries of flavour and sensory experience, particularly with fruit forward cups. His Ardent Coffee Export business focuses on a portfolio of micro and nano lot coffees from across the famed coffee regions of Ethiopia, from Sidama to Guji and Yirgacheffe. We’ve known Ashenafi for many years, and from the time when he oversaw Ninety Plus Coffee’s pioneering Ethiopian program. 2020 was our first year in directly sourcing from Ardent, where we selected washed, natural and carbonic maceration lots. In 2022, after a two-year delay due to COVID restrictions, Ian visited Ardent and the smallholder producer communities in Sidama, who send us their amazing coffee. We have a special relationship with this community around Bensa in Sidama; where we also sponsor the vital work of the team at the Ardent Children Center.
Tanzania
Blackburn Estate
Michael Gehrken was born in Germany but has farmed at Blackburn Estate in Tanzania for many years, alongside his wife Tina. He fell in love with East Africa when he first visited in 1971, aged 19, and in 1983 moved to Tanzania for good to renovate his parents’ farm.? Back then, Blackburn’s coffee trees were entirely overgrown and a troop of baboons had moved into the main house! It was only in the late eighties, when the government began to free up the market, that Michael started to explore farming coffee. Blackburn is now an award-winning estate, distinguished not only by taste but also by Michael & Tina’s commitment to ecologically-sound farming. The farm is overshadowed by Mount Oldeani (meaning ‘Bamboo Mountain’) to the east, which stands at 3,188m. Furthermore, the estate lies along the southern border of the Ngorongoro Crater (Conservation Area), a rich haven for wildlife and a UNESCO World Heritage site. In respect of this unique environment, Michael & Tina have set aside 80% of the estate’s land as wildlife preserve. With tracts of varied natural habitat, such as savannah, grassland and thick bush, animals are entirely free to wander beyond the unfenced park boundaries, and lion, buffalo, elephant, leopard and many other species roam through the coffee trees and forest. Planting of indigenous shade canopy is being extended on those slopes most exposed to the sun Blackburn has its own very well-organised wet milling facility. Water from a spring high on Mount Oldeani supplies two reservoirs – vital in times of drought - adjacent to the mill for pulping. All the coffee is dried on classic raised screens (also known as African beds).
