Yemeni-style coffee chain opening first Northern California location in Folsom

Qamaria Yemeni Coffee Co. will replace the Waffle Experience at 13405 Folsom Blvd., Suite 950, in Folsom, the fast-growing roastery’s first Northern California cafe.

First reported by the Sacramento Business Journal, Qamaria’s impending move would make it the first Yemeni coffee shop in Folsom — and perhaps the entire Sacramento region.

Yemen’s coffee culture dates back to the 15th century, and Yemeni coffee’s popularity is slowly growing stateside. Often described as rich, earthy and full-bodied, it is said to have chocolate-like notes (the city of Mocha produces many of Yemen’s beans).

You can get Qamaria coffee to go, but in-house service normally comes poured into Oriental-patterned cups. Other locations also have sweets such as an eye-catching pistachio milk cake or honeycomb cake.

Munif Maweri and Hatem Al-Eidaroos founded Qamaria after eight years of determining how to best source beans from their native Yemen. The Michigan-based roastery now has 12 cafes nationwide, with Fullerton the first location in California.

Franchisee Najla Althaibani plans to open a second Sacramento-area Qamaria location in 2025 and a third in 2026, she told the Business Journal. She’s opening the Folsom cafe with her daughter Fayruz Ali and niece Amal Abdulla.

The Waffle Experience closed its Folsom restaurant last fall. The local brunch spot still has a location in North Natomas.