Today is National Coffee Day...
I have loved my morning afternoon and sometimes evening cup of joe for many many years but I learned much about coffee during my trips to the birthplace of coffee... Ethiopia
A bit of history and legend.....
In the Ethiopian highlands, where the legend of Kaldi, the goatherd, originated, coffee trees grow today as they have for centuries. Though we will never know with certainty, there probably is some truth to the Kaldi legend.
It is said that he discovered coffee after noticing that his goats, upon eating berries from a certain tree, became so spirited that they did not want to sleep at night.
Kaldi dutifully reported his findings to the abbot of the local monastery who made a drink with the berries and discovered that it kept him alert for the long hours of evening prayer. Soon the abbot had shared his discovery with the other monks at the monastery, and ever so slowly knowledge of the energizing effects of the berries began to spread. As word moved east and coffee reached the Arabian peninsula, it began a journey which would spread its reputation across the globe.
Today coffee is grown in a multitude of countries around the world. Whether it is Asia or Africa, Central or South America, the islands of the Caribbean or Pacific, all can trace their heritage to the trees in the ancient coffee forests on the Ethiopian plateau. (www.ncausa.org)
While we were in Ethiopia we visited a coffee farm and I saw coffee beans, I knew how the beans grew but I never really thought about how those beans were harvested, roasted and arrived in my cup. Ethiopian coffee is served strong in small cups and loaded with sugar and a side of popcorn.
The legend of Kaldi Coffee is seen along the streets of Ethiopia, their logo reminds me of another coffee giant.
I have a new appreciation for my daily cup of java, the scent of roasting coffee beans reminds me of wonderful times spent in Ethiopia..... I find this final bit of info interesting since Theo is from the Oromia region in Ethiopia.....
Ethiopian Cooperative and Fair Trade movementsFarmers' organizations have existed in Ethiopia throughout different historical periods. Most of the first level cooperatives were established during the military government, which ruled from 1974 to 1991. The cooperative system provides their small-scale farmer members with services that include coffee processing, credit, human and financial resources for rural development. As of 2004, Ethiopia had 4,052 coffee cooperatives6.
The Oromia Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union (OCFCU) is an excellent example of what is possible through farmer organizing and connection to Fair Trade coffee roasters. This cooperative was established in 1999 by 35 farmer co-operatives, with a total of 22,691 starting members, in southern and western Ethiopia. Today, membership has grown to include over 100 co-ops and nearly 75,000 farmer households. This makes it one of the largest Fair Trade coffee cooperatives in the world. OCFCU farmers cultivate over 86,000 acres of coffee and annually produce about 230,209 tons of coffee annually, with 30,415 tons produced organically.
The smallholder coffee producers of OCFCU have helped to conserve the heirloom coffee varieties. They use organic management techniques to grow coffee in the native forests. This environmentally sustainable coffee is also very high quality. Through fair trade certification, Ethiopian farmers have found an additional tool in the long term struggle to link coffee quality, to opportunities for improving the quality of their own lives and conserving environmental quality. (equalexchange.coop)
