CHALLENGE

Sarah Yahya came to Black Sheep with a powerful personal story and a clear instinct: that the coffee her family made in Baghdad was something the world had never tasted, and deserved to.

But a compelling story alone doesn't build a brand. What she needed was clarity. Specifically:

• A name and identity that captured both her heritage and her ambition

• A defined market position in a crowded RTD coffee category where differentiation is rare

• A product strategy rooted in what actually made this brand different

• A go-to-market plan that could get her onto shelves in one of the most competitive natural grocery markets in the country

Sarah had also spent 15 years as a petroleum engineer. She understood systems and precision. What she needed was someone who could translate that same rigor into building a brand.

Solution

Naming

The name came from Sarah herself. Yah Yah Yah is an iteration of her surname, Yahya, made three times, the way her family would say it with warmth and recognition. It's personal, repeatable, and distinct. No other RTD brand sounds like it. That was the point.

Brand Blueprint

We built the brand from the inside out, starting with a Brand Blueprint that defined:

Brand Values:

• Authenticity — Honoring Middle Eastern coffee traditions through real flavors and the founder's lived story

• Empowerment — Celebrating female and minority entrepreneurship in an industry that has very little of it

• Clean Ingredients — Using cardamom, rosewater, honey, and other heritage ingredients without artificial additives of any kind

Brand Personality: Authentic and proud. Bold and pioneering. Empowering and inclusive.

Vision: To make Middle Eastern coffee culture celebrated globally, while preserving ancestral traditions and creating connections between heritage and future generations.

Results

Yah Yah Yah launches in Fall 2026 in Los Angeles.

Retail interest from Whole Foods and Sprouts confirmed prior to launch. A press release distributed in Spring 2026 positioned the brand as a first-of-its-kind story: the first Iraqi-American RTD coffee brand in the United States.

The brand is generating organic attention ahead of its shelf debut.

TESTIMONIAL

Darleen genuinely cares, and I think that's what makes her such a great strategic partner. When someone truly cares about your success, it shows in the quality of their work, the advice they give, and the effort they put into helping you move forward.

Building Yah Yah Yah from the ground up has been a challenging journey, and Darleen played an instrumental role in helping shape the business. From naming and concept development to brand building and product line creation, she brought both strategic thinking and practical guidance. She wasn't afraid to challenge my thinking when needed, and she always encouraged me to make decisions that were in the best interest of the brand.

Her experience, connections, and ability to see the bigger picture were incredibly valuable. More importantly, she treated the business as if it were her own, which is a rare quality to find.

I can honestly say that Yah Yah Yah would not be where it is today without her guidance, support, and belief in the vision.

— Sarah Yahya, Founder, Yah Yah Yah

Key Takeaways

1. Founder Story Is a Differentiator. An Iraqi-born petroleum engineer with a family coffee ritual is a story that earns trust. We made it impossible to ignore.

2. White Space Still Exists. No RTD brand had ever built around Middle Eastern coffee culture. That's where we planted the flag.

3. Brand Before Operations. The Blueprint came first. Everything else followed.

4. Clean Formulation as a Brand Statement. The ingredients are an extension of the values, not just a product spec.