Kaldi’s apocryphal tale: Coffee from its Origin!

Video: Embassy of FDR Ethiopia (Source)

The rest of the Ethiopian history of coffee is very tumultuous. Ethiopia has undergone a number of government reforms. There has been a lot of popular discontent, revolt, and political upheaval in both of these regimes. Ethiopia was embroiled in a war with Eritrea from 1998-2000. Coffee farming in Ethiopia has taken a big hit in the midst of the volatile political and economic situation. In 2003, coffee prices fell lower than ever before. The production costs were no longer compensated by the price of coffee and, as a result, many farmers abandoned their crops. They were distraught, not having enough money to cover the cost of fixing their houses, buying clothes, or getting an education for their children. Many farmers have come to the town from their estates, while others have stayed with their coffee plantations. 

Coffee remains Ethiopia’s biggest export, amid all of these struggles and difficulties. Ethiopian coffee farmers often have to compete and team up with larger, more efficient businesses that often take much of the benefit. Farmers make very little from these collaborations and women make even less, often as little as USD 20 a month, in Ethiopia’s coffee industry. The National Coffee Board of Ethiopia was founded in 1957 to help improve the quality of Ethiopian coffee and to coordinate traders and exporters with producers. And lately, Fair Trade groups have been helping to ensure that coffee suppliers are adequately paid.

Ethiopia is generally regarded as coffee’s birthplace. Many experts claim that Ethiopia is the only place where coffee has grown and Kaldi’s apocryphal tale is told over and over again. Kaldi was a goat herder who, after seeing the vigour his goats got from consuming the cherries, discovered coffee. Subsequently, he took the cherries to the monastery and shared them with the monks, who shouted that they were the work of the Devil and threw them into the flames. There was a heavenly scent of beans roasting in the oven, and the beans were raked from the fire and crushed to put out the embers. They put them into a jug and filled them with hot water for preservation, realising their error. Later, during regular devotions, the monks drank the brew and it helped them stay awake. While this storey is fun, in fact, it was likely that the coffee plant and its invigorating properties were first discovered by the people of Oromo. Many such myths are apocryphal about the roots of coffee and its real discovery is something of a great deal of speculation.

Content Edited by Atlanta Mahanta

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