Yemeni beans help build community connections in Edmonton

Several cafés in Edmonton import Yemeni coffee beans to recreate traditional flavours for the city’s Arab community, while sourcing remains inconsistent because ongoing conflict in Yemen has disrupted exports.

Several cafés in Edmonton are importing beans from Yemen to offer traditional coffee flavours and recreate familiar café settings for members of the city’s Arab community and other patrons. Mokha Coffee House opened its first location in April 2024 in Griesbach and added a southside location in October 2025. Owners and roasters in the city describe Yemeni beans as having distinct fruitiness and unique roasting characteristics. The cafés often use traditional decor and beverage styles that reflect Yemeni and broader Middle Eastern café culture. What is known: - Mokha Coffee House says it serves coffee made from beans grown near Yemen’s historic port city of Mokha, and owner Jamal Musalam describes the beans as fruitier and different in appearance, aroma and roast. - Rogue Wave Coffee Roasters co-owner Ply Pasarj worked with Yemeni producers for nearly a decade before beginning imports, and both he and Musalam report growing interest in Yemeni and rare-origin coffees in North America. - Sourcing remains inconsistent; the conflict in Yemen that began in 2015 has disrupted trade routes, raised shipping costs and limited exports. - A United Nations assessment noted that Yemeni coffee exports rose from about 44,000 tonnes in 2000 to 75,000 tonnes in 2005, but declined to roughly 36,000 tonnes by 2019. - Local community figures estimate the Yemeni population in Edmonton has grown since 2014, and Statistics Canada reported 1,160 people in Alberta identified as Yemeni in the 2021 census. Summary: Local cafés importing Yemeni beans have helped create gathering places that reflect cultural traditions and familiar flavours for Edmonton’s Arab and Yemeni communities, and have drawn interest from other customers exploring specialty origins. Sourcing and trade remain uneven because of the conflict and related disruptions in Yemen. Undetermined at this time.