Coffee production in Ethiopia
Encyclopedia
Economy of Ethiopia
The economy of Ethiopia is based on agriculture, which accounts for half of gross domestic product , 43% of exports, and 85% of total employment....
with about 25% of the population depending directly or indirectly on coffee
Coffee
Coffee is a brewed beverage with a dark,init brooo acidic flavor prepared from the roasted seeds of the coffee plant, colloquially called coffee beans. The beans are found in coffee cherries, which grow on trees cultivated in over 70 countries, primarily in equatorial Latin America, Southeast Asia,...
for its livelihood. In 2006 coffee exports accounted some $350 million, equivalent to 34% of that year's total exports.
History
According to legend, the 9th-century goatherder KaldiKaldi
According to legend, Kaldi was the Ethiopian goatherder who discovered the coffee plant.-Myth:Kaldi, noticing that when his flock nibbled on the bright red berries of a certain bush they became more energetic , chewed on the fruit himself. His exhilaration prompted him to bring the berries to an...
discovered the coffee plant in Ethiopia after noticing the energizing effect the plant had on his flock, but the story did not appear in writing until 1671 and is probably apocryphal.
Production
EthiopiaEthiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
is the world's 7th largest producer of coffee, and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
's top producer, with 260,000 metric tonnes in 2006. Half of the coffee is consumed by Ethiopians, and the country leads the continent in domestic consumption. The major markets for Ethiopian coffee are the EU (about half of exports), East Asia (about a quarter) and North America. The total area used for coffee cultivation is estimated to be about 4000 km² (1,544.4 sq mi), the size is unknown due to the fragmented nature of the coffee farms. The way of production has not changed much since the 10th century, with nearly all work, cultivating and drying, still done by hand.
The revenues from coffee exports account for 10% of the annual government revenue, because of the large share the industry is given very high priority, but there are conscious efforts by the government to reduce the coffee industry's share of the GDP by increasing the manufacturing sector.
The Coffee and Tea Authority, part of the federal government, handles anything related to coffee and tea, such as fixing the price at which the washing stations buy coffee from the farmers. This is a legacy from a nationalization scheme set in action by the previous regime that turned over all the washing stations to farmers cooperatives. The domestic market is heavily regulated through licenses, with the goal of avoiding market concentration.
Regional varieties
Ethiopian coffee beans that are grown in either the HararHarar
Harar is an eastern city in Ethiopia, and the capital of the modern Harari ethno-political division of Ethiopia...
, Sidamo
Sidamo Province
Sidamo was a province in the southern part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Irgalem, and after 1978 at Awasa. It was named after an ethnic group native to Ethiopia, called the Sidamo, or more particularly, Sidama, who are located in the south-central part of that country...
, Yirgacheffe
Irgachefe
Irgachefe is a town in central southern Ethiopia. Located in the Gedeo Zone of the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples' Region, this town has a longitude and latitude of and an elevation between 1880 and 1919 meters above sea level...
, or Limu
Limmu (woreda)
Limmu is one of the 180 woredas in the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Part of the Misraq Welega Zone, Limmu is bordered on the south by an exclave of the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, on the southwest by Sasiga, on the west by the Benishangul-Gumuz Region, on the north by Ibantu, and on the east by Gida...
regions are kept apart and marketed under their regional name. These regional varieties are trademarked names with the rights owned by Ethiopia.
Sidamo
"Ethiopia Sidamo" is a type of Arabica coffeeCoffea arabica
Coffea arabica is a species of Coffea originally indigenous to the mountains of Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula, hence its name, and also from the southwestern highlands of Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan. It is also known as the "coffee shrub of Arabia", "mountain coffee" or "arabica coffee"...
of single origin
Single-origin coffee
Single-origin is a descriptive term referring to a coffee or cacao varietal with a single known geographical origin. Sometimes this is a single farm, or a specific collection of beans from a single country. The name of the coffee is then usually the place it was grown to whatever degree available...
grown exclusively in the Sidamo Province
Sidamo Province
Sidamo was a province in the southern part of Ethiopia, with its capital city at Irgalem, and after 1978 at Awasa. It was named after an ethnic group native to Ethiopia, called the Sidamo, or more particularly, Sidama, who are located in the south-central part of that country...
of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. Like most African coffees, Ethiopia Sidamo features a small and greyish bean, yet is valued for its deep, spice and wine or chocolate-like taste and floral aroma. The most distinctive flavour notes found in all Sidamo coffees are lemon and citrus, with bright crisp acidity. Sidamo coffee includes Yirgachefe Coffee and Guji Coffee. Both coffee types are very high quality.
Harar
"Ethiopian Harar" is a coffee beanCoffee bean
A coffee bean is a seed of a coffee plant. It is the pit inside the red or purple fruit often referred to as a cherry. Even though they are seeds, they are referred to as 'beans' because of their resemblance to true beans. The fruits - coffee cherries or coffee berries - most commonly contain two...
of the species arabica
Coffea arabica
Coffea arabica is a species of Coffea originally indigenous to the mountains of Yemen in the Arabian Peninsula, hence its name, and also from the southwestern highlands of Ethiopia and southeastern Sudan. It is also known as the "coffee shrub of Arabia", "mountain coffee" or "arabica coffee"...
that is grown in the region of Harar
Harar
Harar is an eastern city in Ethiopia, and the capital of the modern Harari ethno-political division of Ethiopia...
in the Eastern highlands of Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
. It is one of the oldest coffee beans still produced and is known for its distinctive fruity, wine flavour. The bean is medium in size, with a greenish-yellowish colour. It has medium acidity and full body and a distinctive mocha flavour. Harar is a dry processed coffee bean, with sorting and processing done almost entirely by hand. Though processing is done by hand, the laborers are extremely knowledgeable of how each bean is categorized.
Harar beans can be divided into three categories: Longberry, Shortberry, and Mocha. Longberry varieties consist of the largest beans and are often considered of the highest quality, in both value and flavor. In some cases this is true but more often than not it's just a marketing pitch. Shortberry varieties are smaller than the Longberry beans but, are considered a high grade bean in Eastern Ethiopia where it originates. Also the Mocha variety is a highly prized commodity. Mocha Harar's are known for their peaberry beans. Peaberries are coffee beans with one bean per coffee cherry, unlike the common coffee cherry which holds two beans. Even though this is a formality defect, it is one of the highest valued coffees in the world. It is known for having very distinct aromas and flavors of chocolate, spices, and a complex of citrus notes.
See also
- Agriculture in EthiopiaAgriculture in EthiopiaAgriculture in Ethiopia is the foundation of the country's economy, accounting for half of gross domestic product , 83.9% of exports, and 80% of total employment....
- Coffee ceremonyCoffee ceremonyA coffee ceremony is a ritualised form of making and drinking coffee. The coffee ceremony is one of the most recognizable parts of Arab, Eritrean and Ethiopian culture. Coffee is offered when visiting friends, during festivities, or as a daily staple of life...
- Ethiopian coffee dressEthiopian coffee dressAn Ethiopian coffee dress is the traditional attire of Ethiopian women. In Ethiopia, this dress is called habesha qemis. Rastafarian women in the African diaspora also wear these dresses. The ankle length dress is made of white cotton. Most dresses are decorated with Ethiopian motifs. The...
- Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative UnionOromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative UnionThe Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union is an Ethiopian agricultural cooperative federation, established in June 1999, representing approximately 102,950 coffee growers, processors, and exporters of the Oromia Region of southern and western Ethiopia. The union's members are organized into 115...