Mocha Coffee Day in Sana'a, Sanaa, Yemen - 03 Mar 2024
Roasted Arabica coffee beans are on display during an event organized on the Mocha Coffee Day in Sana'a, Yemen, 03 March 2024. The Mocha Coffee Day is celebrated annually in Yemen on the first days of March to highlight the Arabica coffee industry and display a variety of fresh and roasted local coffee beans. Yemen is considered the original country to cultivate Arabica coffee and home to the internationally-known Mocha coffee. The country produces an estimated 22,000 metric tons of Arabica coffee yearly, most of it being exported to Saudi Arabia and the United States, according to statistics by Sana'a-based agricultural services. Historically, Mocha coffee dates back to the 15th century when Sufi monasteries in Yemen employed coffee as an aid for concentration during prayers, later spreading to Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. By the early 16th century, it had reached the rest of the Middle East, Europe, and Southeast Asia.