Special Advertising Section: Faces of Detroit 2026
SAMALE NOOR AND AMAL ALMAFLAHI — FIRST LIGHT ROASTERS
37055 INDUSTRIAL ROAD, LIVONIA, MI 48150 | FIRSTLIGHTROASTERS.COM
Before dawn in a Somali courtyard, Samale Noor’s grandmother roasted beans carried down from the Cal Madow mountains, a scent Samale would chase for the rest of his life. Amal Almaflahi’s family came from Yemen, where the world first brewed coffee. When the two married, two ancient coffee heritages met in a single cup, and a roastery was born of their love. Today, their Livonia home is Michigan’s largest Black-owned coffee roastery, with capacity to roast 1,500 pounds a day.
Their First Light Roasters label brings exceptional coffee to cafés and grocers, while their premium Detroit Halite line, named for the salt mined deep beneath the city, showcases Africa’s most coveted beans: Kenya AA SL28, Rwanda Gitwe Bourbon, and Ethiopia Grade 1, roasted in small batches and shipped within 48 hours. Their dream is simple: to bring a piece of Africa to the Midwest, one extraordinary cup at a time.
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