Queen of Saba

Born and raised on the steep terraces of Haraz, Haytham Alafoury cultivates land where patience is a condition of survival. While many have left, he stayed, favouring discipline over speed and quality over yield. His work is discreet, precise and deeply rooted in the terroir.

Haytham began working the land at a very young age alongside his father. Today, he takes his four children with him at weekends, hoping that one day they will follow his path and perpetuate the family heritage.

"Mountain Silence" process

A fermentation protocol in several stages and low oxygen content, designed to guarantee precision, stability and optimal quality at roasting.

Density selection in water
Sorting by floating; removal of floating cherries

Initial fermentation and stabilization of whole cherries (18 days)
Raised drying beds in full shade
Large mass of cherries, limited air circulation
Manual turning every 2.5 hours
Light water misting every 2.5 hours
Temperature: 18–22 °C
Relative humidity: 55–65%

Anaerobic fermentation in a closed environment (7 days)
Hermetic metal barrels
Without oxygen
Temperature: 20–22 °C

Secondary drying (17 days)
Drying beds raised in the shade

Hermetic packaging (Ecotact) – 3 days

Final drying (3 days)
Final humidity level: 11.3%

Post-processing
Peeling and sorting by density
Manual sorting
Preparation for export