Overview
Coffee has been growing in Ethiopia for over 400 years, and it is widely referred to as the birthplace of coffee. Coffee production in Ethiopia is centred around 6 regions, all in the altitude 'sweet-spot' of 1400m - 2200m. You will see one region crop up in top-class single-origin coffees, and that is 'Yirgacheffe'. This area is rightly famed for producing massively aromatic coffee that are truly unique.
Ethiopia is also home to the widest variety of coffee plants, many of which are simply classified as 'heirloom', which are effectively cultivated wild coffee plants.
There are three main production systems in operation in Ethiopia - Forest Coffees (wild coffees), Garden Coffees (coffee planted in smallholdings) and Plantation Coffees (larger scale farming)
Taste & Quality
The coffees from Ethiopia are massively diverse, for the reasons listed above - ranging from complex and subtle to huge citrus fruit flavours.Traceability
A new traceability system has been launched in the country by the Ethiopian Coffee Exchange (ECX), that is designed to improve the traceability in the Ethiopia. A number of farmers also work outside the ECX system and direct trade with the outside world.
