Ethiopian Coffee History

Coffee production in Ethiopia is a longstanding tradition which dates back to dozens of centuries. Ethiopia is where Coffea arabica, the coffee plant, originates. The plant is now grown in various parts of the world; Ethiopia itself accounts for around 3% of the global coffee market. Ethiopia is the world’s seventh largest producer of coffee, and Africa’s top producer. Coffee is important to the economy of Ethiopia; around 60% of foreign income comes from coffee, with an estimated 15 million of the population relying on some aspect of coffee production for their livelihood.

The coffee plant, Coffea arabica, originates in Ethiopia. According to legend, the 9th-century goatherder Kaldi discovered the coffee plant 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.

The Bagersh heritage of coffee production stems from a deep passion that nurtures the product right from the farm to that quintessential first sip of this world re-nowed coffee.