A person immersed in coffee culture even a little, probably knows the homeland of this drink. Hot Africa is where most of the grains are grown and harvested. But more precisely, it is coffee from Ethiopia that most people know. After all, the super popular Arabica was born there. And the Kaffa rainforest generally gave the drink a characteristic name. So today the story will be about production in this distant country.
How big is the industry today
Agriculture employs about 85% of Ethiopia's population. Approximately 40% of GDP comes from this path, and the rest of the sources of profit depend heavily on it. And, of course, the export of coffee beans makes a huge contribution. For example, in 2018, the country has grown and harvested 470,000 tons of coffee fruits. Such successes have brought Ethiopia to the sixth place in terms of their production worldwide.
However, there is even more impressive data! Exports are only about half of the country's harvested product. The other half never leaves the borders. The locals consume it themselves.
Mostly coffee from Ethiopia is grown in the east and southwest: in Oromie and the Southern Nationalities Region. Inside there are small areas, such as Harrar or Irgacheff. In honor of some of them, special varieties of Arabica are named. Now it would be appropriate to tell about the impressive number of hectares of fields on which coffee trees grow. However, it is simply impossible to count them.
Manufacturing problems
The fact is that about 95% of all farms in Ethiopia are personal, not commercial properties. Foreigners cannot have a coffee-related business in the country at all. In addition, fruits are often grown semi-wild or even entirely wild. Or rather, they simply collect them from the trees in the forest. This is especially common in the areas of Limu, Kaffa and Lekempti. The mining is also processed mainly in a natural way, without the participation of factories. Because of all this, accurate data is only available for the finished product. We can only say approximately that the country has about 600,000 hectares of coffee plantations.
Naturally, ordinary farmers often do not comply with any working norms and rules. Children are often busy on wild plantations, and the elderly sort out the finished raw materials. This is why many consumers choose not to sponsor such work. You can buy coffee from producers who take care of their employees, and do not use the irregular work of poor people.
Features of cultivation, processing and quality
However, legal or not, a huge amount of unusual and tasty coffee is produced in the country. This is mainly due to the "wildness" of the trees and the conditions for their growth. The fact is that most of the local territories are highlands of different heights. Temperature drops there sometimes reach fifteen degrees of difference: during the day conditional "plus thirty", and at night only "plus fifteen". Because of this, coffee fruits ripen more slowly, acquire more sweetness and flavor.
Each region handles cultivation and processing differently. In some regions, like Kaffa, almost all trees are wild and hide in the shade of forests. But in Harrar, the only one, they grow under the scorching sun. Most of the zones process grain dry, but Sidamo, Guji and Irgacheff are famous for the washed product.
All collected fruits are divided into eight "grades". Such quality standards: the more defects, the higher the grade. You can buy coffee from the sixth to the eighth only within the country - they are not allowed to export. Only the best whole grains are sold. However, this has little effect on taste. Grades determine only physical damage, not richness of aroma or taste.
What varieties are rich in plantations
Most often, four of the most popular types of grains are distinguished, each of which is named after its native region of growth:
- Harrar. This variety has a fruity-wine flavor and a blueberry-nut aftertaste. It grows semi-wild and is processed naturally, that is, dry. Although the grains look small and crooked, they have a rich taste.
- Sidamo. This mono-arabic Ethiopia is characterized by a complex aftertaste and hints of chocolate that do not reach even after dark roasting. The aroma unexpectedly has a hint of jasmine and tropical fruits. Such grains are processed moist.
- Jimma. The simplest and most understandable variety of all. It is balanced in all respects and has a honey flavor. It is dry processed.
- Irgacheff. Ethiopia's last well-known mono-arabic for spicy coffee lovers. She has a light floral aroma and a bright citrus flavor. This type of wet processed coffee is highly regarded throughout the world.
Briefly about history and coffee traditions
According to legend, the first to appreciate coffee were monks and shepherds of Africa in the sixteenth century. They, like no one else, needed a boost of vivacity from these fruits. True, then they were not milled or brewed in water, but simply eaten raw, like the first tea.
And then, a century later, there was trade and colonization. First, seeds from Ethiopia got to Yemen, from there to India, Indonesia, Latin America. Thusm, the notorious "coffee belt" was gradually born. In fact, it was Ethiopia who showed the rest of the world coffee, for which the country can be thanked.
Around the 1990s and 2000s, Ethiopia's coffee industry was on the brink of collapse. The country was going through political turmoil, and commodity prices dropped so much that they did not even cover production costs. People flocked to the cities, farming was in decline. However, it was not possible to completely destroy the coffee state. And in 2008, the Ethiopian Coffee Exchange was opened, thanks to which small farmers were able to earn money with their labor again. Since then, production has only grown every year, bringing the country a significant part of the income.