Yah Yah Yah Pours Middle Eastern Flavor Into RTD Coffee

All images courtesy of Yah Yah Yah.

Among a sea of new entries in the ready-to-drink latte category, a new Denver-based brand called Yah Yah Yah is introducing Middle Eastern-inspired flavors. 

The Yah Yah Yah name comes from founder Sarah Yahya, who grew up in Baghdad, Iraq, and immigrated to the United States with her family at age 15 before becoming a petroleum engineer. 

“We arrived with very little, and education became incredibly important to me,” Yahya told Daily Coffee News. “I was always drawn to math, science and problem solving, which ultimately led me to petroleum engineering.”

While working in the male-dominated field of process engineering, Yahya also noticed little representation of the coffee traditions and flavors she grew up with in the RTD coffee category.

“In Middle Eastern culture, coffee is much more than caffeine,” Yahya said. “It is hospitality, conversation, family and connection. It is one of the first things you offer someone when they enter your home. I saw an opportunity to take something deeply rooted in my own culture and introduce it in a modern, approachable format.” 

Yahya spent approximately a year on formulation, sourcing, manufacturing and testing with undisclosed parties before bringing Yah Yah Yah to market. 

Whole Foods Market selected Yah Yah Yah as one of 10 brands from more than 2,000 applicants for the 2026 Early Growth cohort of its Local and Emerging Accelerator Program (LEAP).The 12-week program provides mentorship, industry connections and a tailored curriculum for emerging consumer brands, with participants also potentially qualifying for a $25,000 equity investment from Whole Foods.

Yah Yah Yah’s initial lineup includes the Baklava Latte, Cardamom Latte and Dubai Style Mocha, with flavors adapted from Yahya’s family recipes. Each shelf-stable drink comes in an 8-ounce slim can and is made with whole milk and honey, with 80 milligrams of caffeine and 5 grams of prebiotic fiber.

“Our ingredient and coffee suppliers are confidential, but we have been very deliberate about sourcing a coffee profile that allows the other ingredients — particularly cardamom, pistachio, cocoa, and honey — to shine,” Yahya said. “The goal was never simply to make another RTD coffee. It was to create a well balanced coffee experience where the coffee and the cultural flavor inspirations work together.”

Yahya worked with Q Grader and Black Sheep founder Darleen Scherer to develop the coffee profile for Yah Yah Yah, eventually settling on a medium roast.

“Long term, my ambition is to build Yah Yah Yah into the leading brand for Middle Eastern-inspired RTD coffee in the United States,” Yahya said. “I believe flavors like cardamom and pistachio have enormous potential with mainstream American consumers, and we’re really only beginning to see that happen.”

Before expanding the product lineup, Yahya said the company is prioritizing distribution in Colorado and California.

“We have partnered with co-packers on both the West Coast and in the Midwest, which gives us the ability to support expansion into additional regions as the business grows,” Yahya said. “We are also working with distribution and retail partners to expand our footprint while being thoughtful about where the brand belongs.”

Yahya said potential sales channels include cafes, corporate offices, foodservice operations, hotels, micro markets and universities.

“In many ways, I didn’t completely leave engineering behind,” Yahya said. “Building this company requires a lot of the same skills: solving problems, understanding processes, analyzing data, managing complexity, and constantly improving a product. I just get to apply those skills to something much more personal now.”

Comments? Questions? News to share? Contact DCN’s editors here. For all the latest coffee industry news, subscribe to the DCN newsletter.