It’s tough to make a good batch of Arabic coffee. The multistep process takes up to 30 minutes, and despite a brewer’s best efforts, the taste is often inconsistent.
But thanks to Lateefa Alwaalan, the challenge of making a perfect Arabic coffee will soon be more easily met. Alwaalan, who is from Saudi Arabia and is a graduate of the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business, has revolutionized how Arabic coffee is made.
Shortly after earning her MBA degree in 2011, Alwaalan launched Yatooq, offering ready-made Arabic coffee blends that brew consistently. In 2013, the company introduced an Arabic coffee maker to simplify the brewing process.
Yatooq’s system for making coffee easily and consistently has paid off. Yatooq has outlets in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and the U.S. city of Seattle.
Alwaalan told the Foster School blog that studying in the U.S. transformed her. “I use everything I learned — from change management to supply-chain management to marketing,” she said.
Entrepreneurs like Alwaalan are teaming up with mentors online to develop ideas through the U.S. Department of State’s GIST Network. For ideas about how to wake up the entrepreneurial spirit in your community, find out what startups gain from the 1 Million Cups program, a partnership between the GIST Network and the Kauffman Foundation to bring together entrepreneurs and community leaders over coffee.