The word "coffee" comes from "KAFFA", a coffee-growing region in Ethiopia. This makes Ethiopia the birthplace of the natural, wild, arabica coffee bean discovered around 500AD. Ethiopian coffees have a wild and winey character ranging from the floral, wineyness of the Harrars in eastern Ethiopia to the fragrant, spicy Yrgacheffes in the south. Harrar and Ghimbi are the most fragrant, while Yrgacheffe, Sidamo, and Limu are more wild. The heritage of Ethiopian coffees is unsurpassed.

Settled agriculture began in Ethiopia some 2,000 years ago. Since time immemorial, coffee arabica has been grown in the wild forests of the south-western massive highlands of the Kaffa and Buno districts of the country. Ethiopia is the primary centre of origin and genetic diversity of the Arabica coffee plant, earlier known as jasminum arabicum laurifolia.

With coffee thus a commodity crop earlier than 1500, Ethiopia is the oldest coffee exporter in the world, though external invasions and internal conflicts have at times had a negative impact on the country's coffee export history.

Coffee export in Harar and Gerri goes back to earlier than 1810. In 1838, Rupell recorded the export of 100 quintals of Enarea-coffee (now Liumu-Seka, Jimma) via Massawa. In the 19th century, tow coffee types, "specialty coffee", were exported as first and second grade Harari coffee and Abyssinia coffee to London, Marseilles, New York and trieste.

Ethiopian Muslim merchants transported coffee and other goods in caravans of mules, camels and donkeys. Export was dominated and facilitated by foreigners of more than 140 different nations, including Greeks, Armenians, Germans, Belgians, Indians, Lebanese, Turks and Yemenis.

Coffee classification and grading systems in Ethiopia were developed and licensed for the first time in 1952 and then modified in 1955. Ethiopian coffee certification began after the establishment of the National Coffee Board of Ethiopia in 1957. The NCBE's aims were to control and coordinate producers , traders, and exporters interests and to improve the quality of Ethiopian coffee.

In 1960, Ethiopia became a member of the Inter-African Coffee Organization . The same year, it also became a member of the International Coffee Organization and allocated a 2.5 per cent share of the global market.

The agriculture-based Ethiopian economy is highly dependent on coffee arabica as it contributes more than 60 per cent of the country's foreign exchange earnings. No other product or service in Ethiopia has earned as much. The labor intensive tree crop also provides much employment in rural areas and is the means of livelihood for over 15 million people in Ethiopia.

Thus, as well as being an important export, coffee plays a vital role in both cultural and socio-economic life of the country.

The potential for coffee production in Ethiopia is very high, thanks to the country's suitable altitude, ample rainfall, optimum temperatures, appropriate planting materials and fertile soil. Furthermore, the country is of particular interest to the world because it is where coffee arabica originated, and thus has the best inherent quality for production potential. The total area covered by coffee is about 400,000 hectares, with a total production of 200,000 tonnes of clean coffee per annum.

In Ethiopia, coffee grows at various altitudes, ranging from 550-2,750m above sea level. However, the bulk of coffee arabica is produced in the eastern, southern and western parts of the country, which have altitudes ranging from 1,300 - 1,800 masl

For more information see http://www.eap.gov.et/Agricultural-Commodities/Crops/Coffee.asp  &  http://www.treecrops.org/country/ethiopia_coffee.asp