Syrian expatriate Opens Iraq’s First Coffee Academy
Coffee academy in Erbil in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq (KRI) – North Press
ERBIL, KRI, Iraq (North Press) – Small in size, beautiful in shape, and delicious in taste, with these words Muhammad Suleiman described his coffee. The Syrian national opened Iraq’s first Italian-certified coffee-making academy.
Suleiman, from the city of Derik in the far northeast Syria, left his country in 2000 and traveled across Europe and the Middle East. In 2018, he settled down in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region of Iraq (KRI), and opened ‘Coffee Experts’, an academy to teach youth how to make coffee.
He also makes his own coffee, which is certified by the Italian “Mauro” academy.
Suleiman after a long journey of learning in Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Italy, he mastered the profession and succeeded in passing down the knowledge to Syrian refugees seeking a job opportunity in Erbil.
The young man started to offer paid courses in coffee preparation and training in how to operate several coffee machines.
The academy teaches all aspects of coffee culture. The trainee starts with identifying the origins of coffee, its types, and its history. Then comes the practical training on coffee machines, he learns how to prepare all kinds of coffee, starting with Arabic, Turkish, Italian, American, hot and iced latte and many others, according to Suleiman.
The trainee graduates with an accredited certification from Italy to help him find a suitable career. Suleiman added that the courses prepare the trainee for work. He nominates all students to restaurants and cafes he knows.
“Some started their own cafe, others started their own projects, in general they all are working,” he noted.
The Coffee academy boasts around 650 graduates; most are Syrians refugees who escaped to the KRI.
He said, “Many Syrian young men, despite their university degrees, could not find any work, but after being trained in the academy, they were able to find jobs.”
Suleiman’s work has earned him many accolades, including from ‘Mauro’, the Italian coffee-making academy in Saudi Arabia. He has also become an ambassador to a number of international coffee brands in the KRI.
He has also been featured in the media. The International Coffee Organization shared his story in one of its issues. The “Barista Hustle” network has added his name as one of the most influential people in the global coffee industry.