“I was surprised you were having a ribbon cutting because I’ve been here three times already!” said Alex Lee, who was introduced to Qamaria Yemeni Coffee’s Warm Springs location by his friends. Since its soft opening in June, 2024, the cafe has attracted customers on break from nearby offices or just curious about the more unusual flavors such as Qamaria Latte with cardamom and cinnamon, or the saffron or rose soaked milk cakes. One guest at the ribbon cutting remarked how she appreciated seeing Turkish coffee on the menu.
“If you’re looking to experience a simple, traditional Yemeni coffee with cream, the perfect choice is Mufawaar. This thick, grainy, and textured drink is similar to Turkish coffee but less strong.”
– Hamza Ahmed
Brewing with single-origin coffee beans from family farms in Yemen, Qamaria Yemeni Coffee has locations in Michigan, Illinois, and Texas, as well as Los Angeles, but this is the first in the Bay Area. The shopping center on Cushing Pkwy is a hop over the freeway from Tesla, and nearby Lam Research Corporation and Delta Electronics. It’s also a five minute drive from Pacific Commons Shopping Center. The location is easy to reach by car, although unlikely to attract random passers-by. However, one customer did say he found Qamaria by accident at the soft opening and decided to see what the long line was about. The cafe is open until midnight or 1am, and is packed even on weekday nights.
Areeb Mehmood, who co-owns the cafe with Hamza Ahmed, shared over email, “A few years ago Hamza and I were often looking for this type of place to meet for work or to hang out. Over time, we realized that this type of environment was missing in our community—namely a warm place available late into the night to simply relax.” Yemeni coffee shops were becoming more popular in the U.S., and Mehmood and Ahmed decided to try opening a location for a franchise. Qamaria stood out with strong branding and professionalism. Mehmood continues, “It took us about 18 months and a whirlwind of work, but it is an awesome feeling to see the excitement of the community, and people using our space the way we envisioned!”
In six months they’ve had their ups and downs, including a break-in in August, but they look forward to continuing to grow and be involved in the community.
For the ribbon cutting, the co-owners invited their extended families (their tribe) and the staff (their work family) to stand with them. Officials at the ribbon cutting included Cindy Bonior and Napoleon Batalao from Fremont Chamber of Commerce, Fremont’s new mayor Raj Salwan at his first official event as mayor, former mayor Lily Mei, city councilmember Yang Shao and newly-elected councilmember Raymond Liu, City of Fremont Planning Commissioner Ben Yee and Alameda County Reparations Commission member Brandon Sass.
Qamaria received a respectable number of certificates, presented by Maggy Chan on behalf of Alameda County Assessor Phong La, by Barbara Ledesma Rhinehalt on behalf of State Senator Aisha Wahab, by Jackson Berg on behalf of U.S. Congressman Eric Swalwell and by State Assemblymember Alex Lee.
Mayor Raj Salwan expressed his commitment to support local small businesses. “We’re very proud of another small business opening here in the City of Fremont. Fremont is a very diverse community where we bring people from all walks of life, all cultures, all heritages, where we come together. And there’s nothing better to bring us together than good coffee.”
Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Fremont
4193 Cushing Pkwy, Fremont
Instagram: @qamarcoffee.fremont
510.573.6027
www.qamariacoffee.com
