Ethiopia


Remarkably Ethiopia consumes nearly half of the coffee it produces. This leads one to believe that coffee is a little more than an export crop to those living in Ethiopia. Historically, coffee has meant a great deal to the Ethiopian religious culture. Due to the practice of drinking Boun (infusion of ripened and dried coffee cherry) the power of healing comes to those who drink this sacred concoction. This same cultural drinking practice exists in Yemen as well.

Washed and Unwashed coffees from Ethiopia tend to be wildly fragrant with exceptional balance. Smallholders sell dried cherry to processors who hull the beans and sell them on an auction system. Development of coffee washing stations have increased the production of Ethiopian washed arabicas which are also being auctioned. The exports are mainly shipped through the RED Sea port of Assab, yet also used is the rail system to eventually ship through the port of Djibouti on the Gulf of Aden.

FACTS AND STATS
Population: 48 Million People
Domestic Consumption: 1.5 Million bags per year
Coffee Export: 1.5 Million Bags of 60 Kg. (132.29 lb.)
Cultivated Area: 400,000 Hectares (988,000 Acres)
Harvest:
Unwashed: October to March
Washed: end of July to December
Arabica Introduced: Historically oldest recognized country of origin
Farms:
331,130 (94%) Smallholdings (less than or equal to 2.47 acres)
19,000 (6%) Government
Specialty Preparations:
Washed: Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, Limu, Bebeka Unwashed: Harrar, Sidamo, Djimmah, Lekempti (wild coffee trees)
Botanical Varieties: Arabica