Centuries old stone steps, carved from rocky mountain slopes, create conditions for sustainable coffee farming. A tradition that continues today.

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A panoramic spread of vast Rocky Mountains, Haraaz provides a glimpse of an ancient agrarian culture. Old stone houses form clusters of villages on high peaks. Some disguised by jagged rocks – others perch on high, like watch towers.

Yemen holds the ideal climate with a perfect balance of the warmth and shade needed to create good coffee. Ancestor seedlings of Haraaz coffee were the first cultivated coffee in the world, grown on high stone sloped terraces at elevations between 1,500 and 3,000 meters above sea level, approximately 500 years ago.

Coffee farmers rotate among the trees approximately three times a month, choosing only the cherries that are at the peak of ripeness.

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Hand-picked red cherries are sun-dried on mats made from natural fibers of date palm trees. This ancient coffee farming method provides the best conditions for developing quality coffee.

After harvesting the ripe, red coffee cherries, they are cleaned and then placed in the sun to dry up to four weeks among rooftops of Yemeni farmer’s homes.

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