Mokhtar Alkhanshali is a historian, community organizer, and coffee innovator, who envisions a world where industry empowers rather than exploits, uplifts rather than represses. Following his studies, he worked with some of the most respected civil rights and community organizations, including the ACLU and Asian Law Caucus. On several occasions, he’s been requested to partner with the city of San Francisco in working on initiatives regarding civil liberties.

In 2013, Mokhtar shifted his focus toward his family’s roots as coffee farmers in Yemen. Seeking to reverse Yemen’s nearly lost art of coffee cultivation, he founded Port of Mokha. Combining his knowledge of specialty coffee production, progressive infrastructure strategy, and community organizing, Mokhtar has helped to reverse the declining quality of Yemeni coffee and re-establish it as one of the industry’s most treasured origins.

Mokhtar is the subject of bestselling author Dave Eggers’ new book, The Monk of Mokha.

Mokhtar was in the Northwest to speak at The Elliott Bay Book Company.