Moka & Co., a New York City–based chain of Yemeni coffee houses, has opened on S. Main, its sixth Michigan location and eleventh overall.
It seats about fifty in a tastefully remade storefront last used by Underground Printing (which retains a location two doors north). Favoring college towns, Moka seized an opportunity here when Dearborn-based Haraz Coffee House’s plans fell through.
“We want this to be a social place where people can come in, have a cup of coffee with a friend or a family member, or by themselves and just get some work done,” says general manager Ahmed Alrayashi.
Emphasizing organic and fair trade practices with imports from the cradle of coffee civilization, Moka & Co. takes its name from the Yemeni port city crucial to centuries of coffee trade.
Offerings range from straight coffee drinks to lattes, chai, matcha, fruity refreshers, and frozen blends. An assortment of pastries and other sweet treats are also available, including the viral phenomenon Dubai chocolate, a candy stuffed with shredded phyllo dough and topped with a creamy pistachio spread.
It’s Alrayashi’s first chance to manage a store, and the Dearborn native accepts the challenge of leading a staff of about a dozen. “You have to be willing to do every single thing that you’d ask them to do,” he says. “You have to build a team that actually cares and that doesn’t keep score, either. So once a team member cares about another team member and says, ‘Okay, I got your back, I’ll help you here,’ it’ll go both ways. So the team is the most important thing.”
Moka & Co., 333 S. Main. (734) 369–2467. Daily 8 a.m.–9 p.m. mokanco.com
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