![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/UNIC-3.jpg\"\/)
The coffeehouse serves modern caf\u00e9 favourites alongside traditional Yemeni fare. Image: UNIC.\nA taste of Yemen<\/p>\n
How ARWA transformed from a single caf\u00e9 in Texas into one of the fastest-growing coffeehouses in the United States.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no clearer sign that a business is onto a winning idea than a line out of the door and around the block on its first day of operation.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s the exact situation ARWA Co-Founder Yazan Soofi was met with on a Wednesday morning in December 2022, when the Yemeni caf\u00e9 brand\u2019s first location opened in Richardson, Texas. <\/p>\n
Now, almost half a decade later, there are 17 ARWA locations across the United States (US), and that number is only set to climb.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have another 17 locations set to open in the next few months, and we expect to be at more than 30 by December,\u201d says Soofi.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf growth continues at this rate, we\u2019ll probably double again by summer. It\u2019s been quite a journey and a blessing.\u201d<\/p>\n
The coffeehouse serves modern caf\u00e9 favourites alongside traditional Yemeni fare. Image: UNIC.
\nA taste of Yemen<\/p>\n
The popularity of Yemeni coffee in the US is booming. With customers continuing to seek new experiences, whether through new drinks, different environments, or opportunities to engage with cultures and traditions outside their own, it\u2019s a trend being seen around the world.<\/p>\n
Soofi believes this desire for discovery has helped fuel interest in Yemeni coffee and\u00a0culture.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe specialty coffee culture in the US has changed dramatically over the past few years. It used to be enough to lean on roast levels and sourcing great beans, but now it\u2019s about the overall experience. That\u2019s what people are seeking,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur customer base is extremely diverse and we\u2019re seeing everyone wants to try something new. You still need to roast consistently and have good equipment, but it\u2019s about more than that now.\u201d<\/p>\n
ARWA is a project co-created by Soofi alongside his wife Susan, sister Nora, and brother-in-law Faris. While none of them had a significant background in hospitality coming into the project \u2013 Soofi, for example, was an engineer \u2013 the business started with a goal of sharing a piece of their culture with everyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we first opened, we were only planning to have one coffee shop. We wanted a space to share with our friends, our neighbours, and our community,\u201d he\u00a0says. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d have friends ask where Yemen was, others would only know it from an episode of Friends, in which Chandler flies to Yemen. For us, the thing that brings people closer together is sharing our differences, and that\u2019s what we wanted: to share a little bit of Yemen.\u201d<\/p>\n
Situated at the southwestern edge of the Arabian Peninsula, bordering Saudi Arabia and Oman, Yemen is known as one of the birthplaces of coffee.<\/p>\n
While Ethiopia, which is just across the Red Sea, is heralded as the birthplace of Arabica, Yemeni culture was likely the first to actually cultivate the plant.<\/p>\n
Some evidence of cultivation in the region is estimated to date back to the 12th century, with the earliest verifiable documentation of coffee being consumed as a drink coming from Sufi monasteries in the 15th century.<\/p>\n
While the scale of coffee production in regions such as South America and Southeast Asia, along with conflicts in the Middle East, has restricted the volume at which Yemeni coffee is produced, its influence on global coffee culture remains\u00a0undeniable.<\/p>\n
Soofi says celebrating and sharing that history is at the heart of ARWA.<\/p>\n
\u201cYemen\u2019s rich coffee heritage is the foundation of everything we do. We\u2019re known for the first cultivation of coffee, for coffee being traded to the rest of the world, and for some of the first cups of coffee ever brewed,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s always that debate between Ethiopia and Yemen, but we really wanted to lean into this rich history of coffee. It\u2019s our responsibility to honour that history.\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"Co-Founder](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/UNIC-1.jpg\"\/)
Co-Founder Yazan Soofi says ARWA has used UNIC Stella Epic machines since day one.
Image: UNIC.
\nBuilding for scale<\/p>\n
When Soofi reflects on the journey he and his family have been on with ARWA, and the journey they still have ahead of them, he credits consistency as a key factor behind the rapid rise.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn our first day, there were four of us working behind the bar. We opened on a Wednesday, and the line was wrapping around the door. There were no Yemeni or Middle Eastern coffee shops in the Dallas area at that time,\u201d he reflects. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe quickly realised we had a good problem. We started hiring rapidly, our hours changed from what we\u2019d originally planned, and we understood we needed to open much later, until 1am or 2am at some\u00a0locations.\u201d<\/p>\n
From the opening day, ARWA has used UNIC Stella Epic machines \u2013 from that first location in Richardson, through to California, Illinois, Maine, and everywhere in between.<\/p>\n
Today, the brand\u2019s venues typically operate either a single three-group Stella Epic or two two-group machines, depending on demand, while the original machine remains in service in Richardson.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom day one, we\u2019ve worked with UNIC<\/a>. We cared deeply about quality, so we did a lot of research \u2013 not just on espresso machines, but on our reverse osmosis systems and batch brewers,\u201d says Soofi. \u201cUNIC stood out for consistency and reliability. I wanted a company that prioritised precision, reliability, and a commitment to craftsmanship.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted to set a dose and know it would be the same every single time. The volumetric options and control let us dial in each coffee. Every bean is different; our beans are very dense and require a level of precision in how you pull the shot and how much volume you extract. <\/p>\n
![\"\u2002ARWA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/UNIC-4.jpg\"\/)
ARWA hopes to reach 30 locations across the US by the end of 2026. Image: UNIC.