Two teenage brothers from the Houston area have started an online store that sells coffee grown in Yemen. Hasan and Hussain Rangwala run the business under the name Al-Aqeeq Yemen Coffee Online, and they say its purpose is to help the farmers behind the beans.
The idea came after the brothers traveled to Yemen. There they saw how war and narcotics had hurt the country and the people living in it. Once they were back in Texas, they wanted to do something practical, which led them to coffee.
Yemen has grown coffee for centuries, yet its farmers often struggle to reach buyers abroad. The brothers set out to bring high-quality Yemeni coffee to customers in the United States, so that more of the money would flow back to the growing regions. In their own words, the goal is to help Yemenis rise from poverty and addiction.
According to the site, the coffee is bought directly from farmers or from traders. One of the listed products, sold as Haraaz Fair Value, comes straight from farmers in the Haraaz area. The business also describes itself as a certified minority business.
The store is based in Houston and sells online, which means customers anywhere in the country can order. For the two founders, the project mixes a small family business with a cause they first saw up close during their trip.
