Yemen’s rich cultural heritage, agricultural history and lifestyle are on a display at the Intercontinental Hotel long traditional souks as part of a series of events called ‘Yemen Journey’, thanks to the efforts of Nabil al Sharafi, a young entrepreneur and a curios collector.
‘Yemen Journey’ is a Yemen-based group of people dedicated to connecting Yemen to the world which source unique handmade products from farmers and artisans from all corners of Yemen, and export them to retailers internationally.
It showcases Yemen’s flavours and its beauty represented through unique handicrafts such as alabaster lamps, lanterns, baskets, stone pots, qamaria lights and silver jewelry, as well as authentic green coffee beans, all single sourced micro lots directly from selected farms in Sa’ada and Haraz, inviting interested retailers, coffee roasters and cafes as well as individuals to love to have a taste of authentic Yemeni life.
“Yemen has a rich cultural and agricultural history and through these events we wish to show that Yemeni artisans and farmers have adapted to modern designs and practices while preserving ancient crafts and agriculture practices. As Oman has maintained close ties with Yemen on trade, we want to introduce Yemeni high-quality products to the Omani market," Nabil al Sharafi, founder of 'Yemen Journey', said.
"We have set up an office in Muscat and believe that through transparency, quality control and fair trade practices it is possible to connect Oman and Yemen on trade for high quality coffee, almonds, raisins, honey and handcrafts," he added.
Nabil, with his team, works with farmers in two of Yemen’s most famous coffee regions, such as Sa’ada and Haraz, where the coffee is grown organically and the cherries handpicked and sundried. Yemen Journey provides the farmers they work with ongoing support enabling them to increase quality and yield in their production, besides ensuring full transparency to buyers in the methods of cultivation, drying and processing, as well as the price the farmer receives for his crop.
“We celebrate the resilience of Yemenis and we honour the hard work and dreams that have gone into each one of our traditional Yemeni products. By bringing their work to an international audience, we give Yemeni farmers and artisans an opportunity to sell their unique products internationally, bringing them income and hope,” adds Nabil.
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