The origin of coffee

Coffee - and its stimulating effect - was probably discovered in Ethiopia about 1500 years ago. The word coffee comes from the Ethiopian town of Kaffa. A goat herder is said to have seen that his goats became extremely energetic by eating coffee berries. Monks then supposedly made a stimulating drink from the berries.

From Ethiopia, coffee bushes were taken to Yemen, where coffee production was cultivated until coffee drinking became popular in Europe in the 17th century. Elsewhere in the world (Java), new coffee-growing regions emerged. Ethiopia is therefore the oldest coffee-growing region in the world. And a lot of coffee is still grown there. Ethiopia ranks fifth in the world among coffee-producing countries. Coffee is the most important export product.

Our Direct Trade Ethiopian coffee comes from Sidamo, formerly a southern province in Ethiopia. The Suke Quto Producers Association is located in the Guji zone, one of the Oromia regions in southern Ethiopia, not far from the Kenyan border. Originally, the plantation with its washing station and dry mill was about 5 hectares in size. But after a major forest fire, farm manager Tesfaye Bekele took the initiative to distribute coffee and shade tree seeds to the farmers around the plantation to replant together. His love for nature has ensured that the local community now has a steady income.