Ethiopia has been having a troubled economy for a long time and remains a very poor African country. Coffee holds central importance in Ethiopia's economy because 60 % of all the export earnings of Ethiopia comes from its export of coffee.

Ethiopian Coffee through History

While some people believe South America as the birthplace of coffee, many credit Ethiopia with the origin of coffee. Some experts regard the indigenous coffee trees in Ethiopia as the only native coffee trees existing today. Ethiopian coffee tradition is at least as old as more than 1000 years, i.e. dating back to 10^th century when coffee trees, called Kafa, used to grow in Kaffa area which today is part of Ethiopia. At that time, coffee was used as food. Perhaps, the Ethiopian nomads were the first to gather coffee beans for large-scale use.

They would ground the beans down to form small balls that could serve as ration on journeys. Other Ethiopians used coffee beans in form of porridge or fermented wine. By the 13^th century, the whole Islamic world knew about coffee and within the next two hundred years, Ethiopian Coffee made its way throughout the Middle East. It had, by now, started to be used as a restorative medicine. Soon Ethiopian coffee became popular in Europe, India, and America as well. Today, this coffee has an irresistible demand in the coffee business.

Production of Ethiopian Coffee

Almost all of the coffee in Ethiopia is produced by farmers on small farms. Only two percent of all the coffee produced comes from state farms. Coffee is exported worldwide and the government of Ethiopia presses so much on controlling countrywide sale of coffee that it costs Ethiopians two to three times more to buy the same quantity than those who import it.    

Coffee Tradition in Ethiopia

Ethiopian coffee is an enjoyable item among beverages used today. Still interesting is the tradition that gives coffee a sacred place in the daily life of Ethiopians. Tradition has it that a shepherd of Kaffa once discovered that his goats were overly excited, playing and dancing on their hind legs. He was curious to see some mangled branches with red berries of the coffee tree hanging nearby. He ate a few berries and ran home where his wife sent him to tell the same to the monks.

Thinking of the coffee beans as sinful drug, the monks threw them into fire. This produced the characteristic smell of coffee we experience today. They also crushed some beans and mixed the substance in boiling water. The aroma produced from this attracted other monks who enjoyed the energy of this strange new drink, and thus coffee became a known commodity.