What Qima Coffee does

Qima Coffee is a privately held specialty coffee company headquartered in London (registered as Qima Coffee Ltd in England and Wales, company number 10528013) and founded by CEO Faris Sheibani. The company is described as Yemen's only fully integrated specialty coffee operator, operating eight centralized processing centres and direct relationships with over 2,600 smallholder farmers across 53 communities in Yemen's coffee-growing regions (Sana'a, Dhamar, Ibb, Mahwit, Raymah, Hudaydah, and Ta'izz). Qima has since expanded its origin portfolio to include Colombia (Tolima, Cauca, Huila, Nariño) and Ecuador (Tungurahua, Pastaza, Morona-Santiago).

The company's core product portfolio centres on Yemeni coffees, including Yemenia — a new mother population within Coffea arabica discovered through genetic research with Dr Christophe Montagnon and RD2 Vision — and the Qima Alchemy Series, a proprietary processing methodology developed through more than 1,300 experiments using pressure (up to 10 bar/145 psi), temperature control, gas regulation, and managed drying. All coffees are DNA Verified through the RD2 Vision partnership, addressing market confusion around Yemeni variety names. Qima applies a three-tiered equitable pricing model covering cost of production, living wage, and quality premiums, and pledges 10% of annual profits to the affiliated Qima Foundation for education and agriculture projects.

Qima Coffee monetises through three channels: direct-to-consumer e-commerce via qimacoffee.com (and a Japan-specific site, corec.jp, operated by subsidiary Qima Coffee Japan K.K.), the annual Best of Yemen auction in partnership with the Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE), and B2B wholesale supply to specialty roasters and high-end hospitality customers. Named B2B customers include Blue Bottle Coffee, Intelligentsia, Starbucks Reserve, George Howell Coffee, Has Bean, Square Mile Coffee, Maruyama Coffee, Coffee Supreme, and Alain Ducasse establishments. The company operates a single retail cafe in Fitzrovia, London, and runs marketing through content, earned media, scientific publications, and industry events such as World of Coffee Amsterdam. Public pricing and revenue figures are not disclosed.

Name

Qima Coffee

Legal name

Qima Coffee Ltd

Website

https://qimacoffee.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Qima Coffee is a privately held specialty coffee company that sources, processes, and sells premium single-origin coffees from Yemen, Colombia, and Ecuador to specialty roasters and consumers globally, anchored by exclusive Yemenia genetics and proprietary processing technology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Specialty Coffee

NAICS

Coffee and Tea Manufacturing (311920)

SIC

Beverages (2080), Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Instant Coffee & Coffee Extract Manufacturing (AFAFADAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Trading/Wholesale (AFAIAKAD), Coffee, Tea & Cocoa Beverage Wholesale (AFAIAGAD), Specialty Coffee Shops (Single-Origin, Third-Wave) (THAFADAA)

Keywords

• Specialty coffee sourcing
• Green coffee beans
• Direct trade coffee
• Specialty coffee roasting
• Premium coffee auction

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Coffee Product Sales: Direct sales of specialty Yemeni and other origin coffees (Colombia, Ecuador) to consumers and businesses through e-commerce and wholesale. Products include single-origin coffees, Alchemy Series processed coffees, and rare varieties like Yemenia.
2. Auction Sales: Best of Yemen auction model in partnership with Alliance for Coffee Excellence. Premium lots sold to global specialty roasters at record prices. Auction prices have reached $444/lb (2023), with average prices of $63+/lb.
3. B2B Wholesale: Wholesale supply of green coffee beans to specialty roasters and high-end cafes/restaurants globally, including Blue Bottle Coffee and Alain Ducasse establishments.
4. Qima Foundation Donation: Company pledges to donate 10% of annual profits to education and agriculture projects through the Qima Foundation, supporting farmer communities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Qima Coffee is a vertically integrated specialty coffee company that sources, processes, and sells premium single-origin coffees — chiefly Yemeni coffee — directly from smallholder farmers. The company operates eight centralized processing centres in Yemen, manages the full value chain from cherry to cup, and distributes through DTC e-commerce, B2B wholesale, the Best of Yemen auction, and the Qima Cafe in London.

Product overview

Qima Coffee is a specialty coffee company offering a portfolio of single-origin coffees sourced directly from smallholder farmers across three origins: Yemen, Colombia, and Ecuador. The core product lineup includes Yemenia (a newly discovered genetic mother population exclusive to Yemen), the Qima Alchemy Series (innovative processed coffees), and origin-specific offerings from each country. Supporting the product ecosystem is an R&D Programme focused on coffee genetics research with Dr Christophe Montagnon, and the Qima Foundation which donates 10% of annual profits to education and agriculture. The company also operates the Best of Yemen Auction in partnership with ACE for premium lot sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Qima Alchemy Series: Next generation coffee processing innovation using pressure, temperature control, gas regulation and managed drying techniques
• Yemenia

Products and services

• Qima Yemen Coffee Specialty coffee sourced from Yemen with full traceability to 2,600+ smallholder farmers across 53 communities, processed through eight centralized Qima facilities. Sold as green and roasted coffee to specialty roasters worldwide and via DTC e-commerce.
• Qima Colombia Coffee Specialty coffee sourced from Tolima, Cauca, Huila and Nariño in Colombia using Qima's living income pricing model centred on equitability for smallholder farmers. Sold through DTC and wholesale channels.
• Qima Ecuador Coffee Specialty coffee sourced from Tungurahua, Pastaza and Morona-Santiago in Ecuador, featuring genetic varieties Sidra and Typica Mejorado with enhanced post-harvest processing.
• Yemenia Coffee Coffee from a newly discovered arabica mother population exclusive to Yemen, representing unexplored genetics with potential to reshape arabica coffee cultivation. Sold as both green and roasted coffee and featured at the Best of Yemen auction.
• Qima Alchemy Series Proprietary processed specialty coffee using pressure, temperature control, gas regulation, and managed drying to produce unique flavour profiles. Developed through 1,300+ processing experiments.

Quantifiable outcome

• 91% of coffees achieve 86+ score
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• Yemen Ministry of AgriculturemajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 October 2023Partnership with Yemen Ministry of Agriculture to promote Yemeni coffee. Featured in Global Coffee Report (October 2023). Represents government-level collaboration for Yemeni coffee sector development.
• RD2 Vision / Dr Christophe MontagnoncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 August 2020Partnership with world-renowned coffee geneticist Dr Christophe Montagnon and his advisory organization RD2 Vision. Dr Montagnon (former Chief Scientific Officer of World Coffee Research) leads Qima's R&D programme covering Yemen's genetic landscape. Results included discovery of Yemenia, the largest genetic survey in Yemen's history (25,000km²), and scientific papers on vernacular names and genetics of Yemeni coffee.
• Alliance for Coffee Excellence (ACE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2020Partnership with ACE for Best of Yemen auction and Private Collection auction programme. ACE provides international jury of expert cuppers and auction platform. Qima Yemen 2020 Auction involved 35 cuppers from 24 companies across 14 countries.
• Qima FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister organization focused on education and agriculture projects. Qima Coffee pledges 10% of annual profits to the Foundation. Co-funded research on Yemeni coffee genetics alongside Lavazza Foundation.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Has Bean Coffee: UK specialty roaster and green coffee importer focused on traceable, high-quality single-origin lots. Comparable to Qima in its UK base, single-origin specialty curation, and direct roaster relationships.
• Caravela Coffee: Vertically integrated specialty green coffee company sourcing directly from smallholder farmers across Latin America. Highly comparable to Qima's vertically integrated origin-focused specialty model with direct farmer relationships and quality-focused processing.
• Origin Coffee: UK-based specialty coffee importer and roaster with strong direct-trade and farmer-relationship emphasis. Comparable to Qima as a UK-based specialty player focused on traceable, origin-driven green coffee.
• Counter Culture Coffee: US specialty coffee roaster with a longstanding direct-trade and sustainability program. Comparable to Qima as a specialty operator with deep farmer relationships and a science-informed approach to quality.
• Royal Coffee: Major green coffee importer and specialty-focused trader serving high-end roasters globally. Comparable to Qima in operating at the B2B green coffee tier with a specialty curation focus.
• Sustainable Harvest: Specialty green coffee importer pioneering direct trade and transparent supply chains with farmer premiums. Comparable to Qima through its relationship-based sourcing model and B2B specialty positioning.

Broad incumbents

• Stumptown Coffee Roasters: Established US specialty roaster and cafe operator with a direct-trade sourcing program. Comparable as a broader specialty incumbent with origin-relationship sourcing but at materially larger scale than Qima.
• Blue Bottle Coffee: Large US specialty roaster and cafe operator known for premium single-origin sourcing. Overlaps with Qima's specialty positioning and is also a named Qima customer (Blue Bottle carries Qima's Yemen Bait Alal product).
• Intelligentsia Coffee: Large US specialty roaster with direct-trade sourcing and wholesale cafe business. Overlaps with Qima's specialty positioning but operates at much greater scale and breadth, serving as both a peer and a customer-adjacent brand.

Others

• Cropster: Software platform serving specialty coffee producers, roasters, and traders across the value chain. Adjacent to Qima's operations as an enabling technology provider for quality-focused coffee supply chains.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/qimacoffee
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/qima-coffee

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Qima Coffee