What Is The Agreement?

The goal of the Ethiopian Trademark agreement is to form a new partnership between Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee and the countless coffee roasters around the planet that purchase, roast and sell Ethiopian fine coffees. Sidamo, Yirgacheffe and Harar/Harrar are very well known gourmet coffees in the industry. In the past, Ethiopian coffee producers and exporters have had few opportunities to work directly with brokers/importers and roasters.

Who Is Responsible For The Agreement

The Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office (EIPO) is responsible for this initiative along with the Ethiopian Fine Coffee Stakeholder Committee. The E.F.C.S.C. is made up of coffee producer unions, private coffee exporters and other organizations with direct responsibility for the development of the coffee industry in Ethiopia. Many coffee roasters that share this passion for Ethiopian coffees are joining the growing family of licensed distributors.

In February, 2007, the first historic meeting between Ethiopian Stakeholders and licensed distributors in more than sixty companies from across Africa, the United States, Europe and Asia took place. Forty seven Ethiopian fine coffee exporters as well as three coffee producers unions have signed the trademark agreement and joined the growing network of licensed distributors.

This past May, Ethiopia was chosen to be the featured country representing coffee at the Specialty Coffee Association of America’s annual coffee conference. The Stakeholder Committee and the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office were on hand to answer the questions of companies wishing to join the growing network licensed distributors of Fine Ethiopian Coffees.

I’ve had the pleasure of sampling Ethiopian  Fine Coffees for a number of years now.  They are truly unique coffees, everything from the brightest, crispest and cleanest coffees to some of the most robust and complex sundried coffees on the planet.

Have a look at some of my reviews of various Ethiopian Fine Coffees:

• Harar Review
• Sidamo Review
• Yirgacheffe Review

Who Discovered Coffee?

Coffee comes from Ethiopia. It was discovered some 1500 years ago or so by a young man with a very interesting story. His name was Kaldi, and he was a simple man until he discovered this wonderful black elixir that is now one of the most popular beverages on the planet!

A Brief History of Coffee – The Origins of Coffee – Goats, Cherries and Monestaries

Coffee… and the Dancing Goats

The origins of coffee are surrounded by legend. One of the most famous legends dates back to 600 AD. This particular legend recognizes Kaldi, an Ethiopian goat-herder. One day, while out walking with his normally lethargic goats, Kaldi noticed they were dancing on their hind legs and bleating with glee. Wondering why, he began to look around to see what they had been eating to change their moods. Finally, he also noticed that they had been feeding on the red berries of a shiny dark-green shrub nearby.

Kaldi decided to sample the bright red berries himself. He experienced an immediate boost in his spirits and energies. Having never felt something like this before, and puzzled by it, he took some of the berries to the local monastery where the head monk put them through various experiments. These including parching, crushing in a mortar and pestle and stirring in boiling water. After some time, the beans yielded a fragrant and tasty beverage. The monk, excited with his find, termed the beverage “heaven sent,” and decided to give it to all of the monks in order to keep them from falling asleep during their evening prayers.

The “heaven-sent” beverage was came to be known as “coffee,” and it quickly spread from the monastery to the town and eventually throughout the world.