Mocha Hunters: Our Story

Over a decade of research, learning and hunting. 

It all started in Japan. Our founder, Hussein Ahmed, was living in Tokyo when he ordered a cup of the “Yemeni” coffee. Having grown up around the coffee farms of Yemen, Hussein was well accustomed to the superior taste of pure Yemeni coffee and knew that this was not it.

Driven to bring pure, unadulterated Yemeni coffee back to Japan, Hussein set out on a quest for the best coffee in Yemen. After years of research and trips to remote coffee-producing villages in the mountains of Yemen, Hussein found exactly what he was looking for.

2009 | JAPAN

After finding the coffee he was looking for, Hussein traveled back to Japan where he become an independent coffee wholesaler of pure Yemeni coffee. During this time, he continued to return to Yemen to carry on his quest.

Hussein's reputation quickly grew both in Japan and among farmers in Yemen. He worked with each village, training and educating farmers on best practices for collecting, drying, and preparing the coffee cherries.

2011 | MOCHA COFFEE, TOKYO

When someone in Japan called Hussein a Mocha Hunter, the name stuck. In 2011, he opened a small café in Tokyo called Mocha Coffee. The café quickly became one of the most successful coffee shops in the country, ranking among those that had been in business for hundreds of years. Mocha Coffee received a lot of press and became the subject of a documentary on the introduction of Qishr (“Arabian Whiskey”) to Japan.

2015 | GOODBYE JAPAN HELLO USA

Hussein left Japan in 2015 to attend a specialty coffee conference in Seattle, Washington. While in Seattle, Houthi militias took control of Sanaa, and President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi fled to Saudi Arabia. The airport in Yemen shut down and everything in the country collapsed. Hussein was granted a special visa to remain in the U.S. for 18 months.

2016 | MOCHA HUNTERS IS BORN

While in the United States, Hussein met Adham Aljahmi. Connecting over their shared love of coffee, they spent the next year developing the idea of what is now Mocha Hunters, Inc.

2018 | YEMEN HQ

Back in Yemen, Hussein opens our Mocha Hunters Coffee Shop and HQ in Sanaa Yemen. This has become a staple of high end coffee, roasting and gatherings for people all over Yemen. 

2024 I THE PRESENT

Today, Mocha Hunters now ships coffee worldwide. With the launch of the Mocha Box, we’re excited to offer exclusive, limited-edition coffee drops globally. Order yours today!