Yemeni coffee holds a special place in history as the birthplace of the world’s coffee trade. Legend has it that Arabica beans were first discovered in the Ethiopian Kingdom when a 9th-century goat herder noticed that his flock gained unusual energy after eating red berries from local shrubs. Curious, he tried the berries himself and experienced the same effect. These berries were eventually brought to a Yemeni monastery, where, after a series of events involving a fire, the first brewed coffee was created. Yemen’s Port of Mocha (Al Mokha) became the central hub for exporting these beans, which earned the name “Mocha beans.” By the 16th century, the coffee trade was thriving, with Ottoman control over Yemen’s coffee exports. However, Dutch traders eventually smuggled coffee plants out of Yemen, breaking the Ottoman monopoly and spreading coffee cultivation. Despite the decline of the port of Mocha after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1859, Yemen remains an integral part of coffee’s rich global history.