| Type of coffee: |
Arabica |
| Volume (MTs 2008): |
343,980 |
| Growing areas: |
Harar, Limu, Jimma, Irgacheffe, Sidamo |
| Marketing system: |
Auction and direct sale |
| Processing: |
Wet and dry processing |
| Harvest season: |
October - December |
| Port of shipment: |
Djibouti |
| Export destinations: |
Germany, Japan, Saudi Arabia |
Ethiopia is situated in the North-eastern Horn of Africa, equidistant
between the Equator and the Tropic of Capricorn, bordered by Kenya,
Sudan, Somalia, Eritrea and Djibouti.
Unique among African countries, the ancient Ethiopian monarchy maintained
its freedom from colonial rule and it is the oldest independent country
in Africa.
This country is old beyond imagining and plays a formative role in the
evolving history of today’s world. The Blue Nile pours out of lake
Tana in the Northern Highlands and travels over 400 miles, tumbling down
through both tropical and mountainous landscapes before it enters Sudan
and meets the White Nile at Khartoum. The first fossil skeleton of early
man (Australopithecus) was found at Hadar in the Danakil region of Ethiopia.
And coffee, the most widely traded commodity next to oil, originates
in this country.
It is believed that coffee originated in Kaffa province, and in the 14th
century was taken to Yemen, where the Dutch then found the drink and
took coffee seedlings to Indonesia in the 17th century. Coffee is still
drunk with ceremonial or ritual significance in many parts of Ethiopia
today. The truly diverse population of Ethiopia comprises a number of
different ethnic groups (Oromo, Amhara and Tigre, Sidam, Shankella, Somali,
Afar, and Gurage), speaking a wide range of different languages. This
country has a rich religious diversity as well, with representation from
Muslim, Ethiopian Orthodox and animist groups.
Most of Ethiopia’s economy is based on agriculture, which accounts
for half of GDP, 85% of exports, and 80% of total employment. Coffee
is critical to the Ethiopian economy. Other exports include qat, gold,
leather products, live animals, oilseeds, and a recently renewed interest
in Ethiopia’s cultural and natural history indicates that tourism
in the country is due to grow significantly over the next few years.
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