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Dearborn brands itself as ‘The Coffee Capital’
The National Coffee Association found that 66% of Americans drink coffee daily. But where in the country can you get the best brew? Many may first think of Seattle, home to one of the most popular chains, Starbucks. Wallet Hub ranked Portland as the city with the best cup in its ranking last month.
But the city of Dearborn is challenging those opinions and fighting for the title “Coffee Capital of America”. In Dearborn, drinking the beverage is a huge part of the culture.
Take it from Dearborn Mayor Abdullah Hammoud, who had this to say in the documentary short called “Dearborn: The Coffee Capital”: “We gather around coffee, we laugh around coffee, we share stories, pass down memories and build community.”
Dearborn is home to more than 45 coffee shops in its 24 square miles and could be considered the birthplace of a Yemeni coffee shop revolution. Brands like Qahwah House, Qamaria, and Haraz have been popping up across the country—and they all started in Dearborn.
With over 80 locations combined nationwide and more than 50 planned expansions within the next 6 months, Yemeni coffee shops are quickly expanding. The popularity has grown in a space that lacked a late-night, alcohol-free third space for people to gather.
What defines Yemeni coffee?
Yemeni coffee has an earthy flavor profile with notes of chocolate and dried fruit. Cardamom is often added to the coffee grounds to create blends such as ‘sana’ani’, Yemeni’s version of black coffee. Add milk or cream and you get ‘mufawar’.
Yemen is also where we get the term ‘mocha.’ While today the term refers to coffee and chocolate syrup, Mokha is a port city in Yemen which once served as a major hub for coffee exports.
With each new outlet opening shop owners are taking back the culture of coffee.
“Our slogan is: ‘discover coffee’s origin.’ And it’s almost like taking a road trip through Yemen,” said Qamaria founder Sanad Mashgri.
Dearborn has the largest Arab American community in the country. Yemeni residents are the second largest Middle Eastern population in the city, according to the 2020 census.
Yemeni history, global economy
Yemeni coffee shop owners are hoping to educate java enthusiasts about the region’s history with the bean. They say Yemeni monks were the first to brew coffee.
“At one point, 100 years ago, Yemeni coffee was the backbone of Yemen’s economy, and they exported coffee all over the world,” said Hamza Nasser, CEO and founder of Haraz.
“And since we started exploding with all these coffee shops, whether it’s Haraz, Qahwah house, you know Qamaria, you know Jabal, everyone, hand in hand, you know, we’re all working together to revive this economy in Yemen, bringing it back,” Nasser said.
Many cafes in Dearborn import their coffee directly from Yemen. Nasser says he does this to help end the cycle of poverty in his family’s home country. He says his company alone imports nearly three million dollar’s worth of raw beans each year.
“That $3 million you have over 500 families living out of it,” Nasser said. “I now big corporations here buy coffee for $1 a pound, you know, I wish that was the case for us, but we knew we had to pay a fair price to our farmers so they can have a better life, and not just, you know, surviving.”
Coffee culture
Shop owners are not only working to educate Metro Detroiters about the history of coffee. They are also sharing their culture around coffee.
In Dearborn, a cup of joe is more than just a drink to start your day. Coffee shops can stay open as late as midnight and have become a third space for residents. And for many in the area, coffee and community are synonymous.
“We don’t really have a lot of bars or places you know to drink alcohol in the city anymore, so I think coffee shops have really taken over,” said Ali Bakri. He is the owner of Bakri Coffee, a shop that serves Yemeni coffee among other blends.
“We are a very diverse Muslim community, and I think for us, it’s kind of a good way to get out and mingle and talk and without, you know, committing what we say haram, in the sense of, you know, drinking alcohol or something like that,” Bakri said.
Hamza Nasser says coffee shops in Dearborn are new hotspots.
“A lot of women in our community, they didn’t have much options to go and hang out, you know. It was a lot of hookah shops and many people didn’t feel comfortable caught in in hookah shops,” Nasser said.
And Nasser says that the coffee shops have even become the perfect place to find love.
“There’s nothing much better than meeting your future spouse at a coffee shop. Because there’s a 100% chance of you meeting somebody that’s either they’re working or educated. You’re not going to meet somebody drunk, you’re taking home like at a bar. So, we call coffee shops now ‘the halal bar,’” Nasser joked.
But, many Dearborn residents agree.
“They just come to sit and have a good time. And this is what coffee shops are offering for people just to come,” said resident Neda Albuabsi. She said she would sometimes come to a coffee shop and not even order a drink, but to meet up with friends.
Resident Ali Komeiha frequents Qahwah House during his workday, but he also enjoys being able to meet people from all walks of life at the shop.
“To meet new people and different cultures. This is good. This is healthy for this community,” Komeiha said.
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