Qima Coffee has announced the Best of Yemen online auction that took place on 8 August achieved historic results, bringing in over US$296,000 for 4827 pounds of coffee.
The Best of Yemen brought together coffee from across Yemen and presented them on an online platform for buyers from around the world. Ninety bidders from 21 countries took part in the auction.
“The Best of Yemen is not simply an annual auction event,” says Qima Coffee Founder Faris Sheibani. “To us, it represents a beacon of hope, innovation, and prosperity for Yemen’s coffee industry.”
The top lot of coffee was sold for US$444 per pound, breaking not only the previous record for Yemeni coffee but also all price records for the Cup of Excellence auction program since its foundation in 1999.
“I am filled with such pride and honour,” says Muhammad Zidan, the farmer who produced the record-breaking lot. “These results drive me to make a commitment to continue cultivating coffee and elevating its quality standards to new heights in the years to come.”
The auction was a collaborative effort between Qima Coffee and the Alliance for Coffee Excellence, which have worked together for five years in order to promote and celebrate Yemeni coffee on a global stage.
“The entire Qima team, farmers and colleagues alike, have worked tirelessly over the last year to bring it all together and make it a success,” says Sheibani. “It is extremely rewarding to see the results reflect the hard work. They are a testament to the resilience and potential that Yemeni coffee offers to the coffee community worldwide.”
The auction program dedicates 10 per cent of its proceeds to the Qima Foundation, a non-profit organisation that initiates development projects benefitting coffee farmers. The donations from this year’s edition will go towards the foundation’s research and development programs, focusing on enhancing transparency and traceability in the value chain.
“My heartfelt thanks go to Qima Coffee for organising this auction, as well as all the global participants and supporters for their participation,” says Zidan.
More results from the auction can be found here.
