About the Founder
I moved to Israel from Chicago over 25 years ago, and soon after arriving it dawned on me that the coffee here was terrible. I went on a quest, searching for better coffee in the shuk and elsewhere, but for the most part came up empty-handed. Then, by accident, everything changed.
About Kilimanjaro
On a chance trip to Moshi, a small city in the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro in eastern Africa, I fell in love with the coffee from the mountain. On the flight home, I realized I wanted to share truly great coffee like this with others in Israel. I spent the next several years honing my skills, turning my kitchen into a coffee lab, and traveling between Portland, Seattle, and Chicago to learn from world-class baristas and roasters.​
In 2013 I opened Kilimanjaro Coffee in Zichron Yaakov, a café that specialized in serving coffees from around the world. Since then I’ve been sourcing beans and roasting them by hand, dedicated to coaxing out the best each bean has to offer—blending science, art, and imagination to create something wonderful for people across Israel and around the world.
Lion of Zion
​​In 2025, I launched a new brand—Lion of Zion. It came out of a specific moment in our history—one that asked something of all of us. This coffee is my way of honoring that. It’s about resilience and what holds us together as a people. I wanted to create something that reflected that strength and depth. I hope you enjoy it.
