For a lot of people in the United States, when they think of where coffee comes from the first place that often comes to mind is Columbia but a new business in Greenfield hopes to challenge that assumption.
Qamaria Yemeni Coffee began serving customers in late January and has quickly become a hotspot, even before the shop’s official grand opening ceremony on Wednesday.
“I’ve been here five times since. I have brought friends and coworkers. I’ve had meetings here,” customer Ayla Starr said. “I love the aesthetic of it. I love the coffee.”
Though their menu has the basics like caramel lattes, General Manager Ahmed Chattha said the shops’ goal is to help bring Yemeni coffee blends to the forefront, with a special focus on history.
“It's the birthplace of coffee as we know it today,” Chattha said.
Most coffee enthusiasts agree while the coffee bean originated in Ethiopia, by some accounts it was first cultivated and made into a beverage in Yemen centuries ago.
"In fact, the word Mocha, which we know as a chocolate latte, comes from the port Mokha. The city of Mokha in Yemen because the beans themselves have like a rich chocolatey taste,” Chattha explained.
It’s not just the coffee at Qamaria, infused with spices like cardamom and ginger that sets them apart. Unlike most coffee shops they stay open late, until midnight on some nights.
“This is new to Milwaukee. It’s not something that exists for the Muslim and Arab community,” customer Marlene Zahran said. “It also reminds a lot of us of the café culture back in the Middle East.”
Chattha said their hours reflect their diverse customer base because people from all over the world don’t just drink coffee in the morning.
“I want them to feel like they’re in my home. I want them to feel like they’re with an old friend,” he said.
That welcoming atmosphere is the reason why for most at Qamaria, the biggest draw is the community connection.
'I've got to see like 20 people that I know,” customer Abdalrahman Bazzar said. "I feel like Alhamdulillah I can come in here, there is an ounce of comfort there is an ounce of friendship."
Qamaria Yemeni Coffee is a franchise with cafes in Michigan, Illinois and Texas. The newly opened Greenfield location is locally owned by UW-Milwaukee alum Anas Al-Harani and his business partner Faraz Shuja who works in IT.
Shuja is originally from Indian and Alharani is originally from Palestine.
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