Mission & Vision

 

Our mission is to empower indigenous coffee communities in the areas of social development, education, training, and industry expertise. We aim to provide the next generation of coffee entrepreneurs education, training and a sense of their place in coffee’s historical and cultural legacy; thereby empowering their own identities and allowing them to become catalysts for the future legacy of coffee. 

 

Mokha Institute is a registered nonprofit with the State of California, with our tax exemption in process. 

 

Our vision is to support indigenous coffee communities achieving economic and social empowerment, as well as communal resilience. 

 

Mokha Institute Values

 

Identity

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Embracing people as they are and treating them with dignity and respect, enables them join our work without reservations. When people feel whole and seen, they know that we see them as a vital part of their own success. This includes the recognition that along with the universal goal of economic and social empowerment for all members of the community, there is a need for specific initiatives that enable the most vulnerable groups such as youth and women, to access opportunities. 

 

Ingenuity

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This is our commitment to bridging the gap between the most innovative and the most trusted coffee industry practices. We look forward to working with coffee communities to create an industry that constantly strives to achieve the highest quality with the greatest efficiency by providing them with industry expertise, training and technology. 

 

Legacy 

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Understanding a community's history; their struggles and successes allows for them to create the best future possible for generations to come. Their cultural history is the prologue to the story of their future. We want to facilitate their achievements and empower them to be authentic ambassadors to the world for coffee and their communities. 

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Empowering Coffee’s future Leaders

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The Mokha Institute aims to achieve this goal by using our industry expertise to create data based initiatives that efficiently address the concerns of stakeholders. To facilitate these initiatives MI plans to establish Coffee Academies that are a haven of safety, security, education and empowerment for indigenous coffee communities. At these coffee academies training and education on industry best practices for growing, processing and selling the highest quality coffees in the world will be made available to stakeholders, thus empowering their future economic resilience. 

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While economics are fundamental we believe that is only one part of true resilience. Our founders created MI with a holistic vision of well being and professional excellence. Through a collaborative process of consensus building stakeholders are not simply passive beneficiaries but active agents in achieving their own success. By preserving the indigenous varietals, using traditional resources and methods as well as preserving the historical legacy of coffee in these regions, communities can develop a coffee industry and culture with the resilience to endure. Mokha Institute helps these communities to then innovate, access the latest in technological and industry best practices, and develop equitable, inclusive programs and services that integrate the natural rhythm of the community.

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Why Begin with Yemen?

 

Many people believe Yemen is the birthplace of coffee. It was certainly one of the earliest avenues through which coffee was introduced to the world. In the 19th century Yemen was one of the world’s premier coffee exporters. 

 

Mokha Institute (MI), is founded by Yemeni American coffee pioneer Mokhtar Alkhanshali.  Mokhtar is a prominent public figure in Yemeni coffee, largely through the international recognition of Dave Eggers’ acclaimed book The Monk of Mokha, which tells the story of Mokhtar’s perilous journey to found Port of Mokha, his coffee export company. It was through working in these amazing communities in Yemen that Mokhtar realized he could do more. It is with this passion for sharing Yemen’s coffee with the world, and bringing Yemen’s coffee industry back to the heights of its historical legacy that has ignited Mokha Institute’s efforts to help the people of Yemen reclaim their mantle as the world’s premier coffee ambassadors.