Ethiopian Coffee
This is a coffee story about my relationship with Ethiopian coffee. We should always remember where people first discovered this tropical plant seed. I apologise if you are from Yemen; you may also feel a sense of ownership over the birthplace of coffee.
If you are old enough to remember “Live Aid,” you may have seen the famine and suffering it highlighted. Bob Geldof famously swore on live TV, in a state of emotional exhaustion, “Give us your f***ing Money!” As a result, I went out and bought my first bag of Ethiopian coffee in 1985! Ethiopia’s coffee has always been some of the most complex and amazing available. The bag of coffee I bought in 1985 (a mere 40 years ago) was a random gesture.
Turning the coffee clock back 20 years, Operation Cherry Red awakened the coffee world to the potential quality of Ethiopian coffee. The coffees from Operation Cherry Red were show-stoppingly good. After the coffees finished, a few people told me it was part of “what got them into coffee.” We were fortunate to be involved, or even associated, with it.
I have quoted Menno Simmons (Founder of Trabocca) many times. He has made a genuinely positive difference in a major industry’s supply chain. Who can honestly say that?
In 2007/2008, The Fun Stopped.
The Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX) was formed in 2008. Smallholder farmers received swift payment for their crops after delivering their cherries. This provided more certainty for payment, but it lacked a value system. Before the ECX, stories circulated about coffee taken to the Addis market that didn’t sell. Farmers faced charges for transport and storage, and then they had to retrieve their unsold coffee.
Just as Fairtrade coffees could only be purchased from co-operatives in the past, most Ethiopian coffees lost their provenance and became categorised by region and screen sizes. Some exceptions existed, but the situation was complicated. The goal was to protect smallholder farmers. Coffee plays a significant role in the Ethiopian economy, and an economist developed this well-meaning plan.
After a while, buyers could purchase coffee directly from mills again, at rates guaranteed to exceed market prices. This approach tied up a lot of money, and obtaining export licenses for coffee proved challenging for some time. Banks and politics control the coffee business, manipulating the industry by squeezing smallholders and driving up prices for consumers, whether in coffee shops or at home.
As an industry, we could pay more for better coffee. The Ethiopian coffees available often came from large washing stations that supported hundreds of smallholder farmers. Fast forward to 2018, when Operation Cherry Red Auction restarted, followed by the first Ethiopian Cup of Excellence in 2020. Both initiatives opened the door for individual farmers to gain recognition for producing exceptional coffees.
What Ethiopian Coffees to Buy?
The coffees we buy and sell define our business. Buying 10 bags of coffee from a smallholder producer in Africa is not an easy task. When we work with like-minded people, WE can all make a difference. In a recent conversation about taking James Gourmet Coffee to net-zero, one of the things that we can do (more of) is work together. Sharing container shipments is a big first step, which we are already doing. This is how we get the 10 bags, too. Without going off on a huge tangent here, our dream is not about being a bigger business for the sake of it.
At the beginning of 2025, world coffee prices spiked to all-time highs, and we didn’t know how the new Ethiopian crop would be affected. For the record, you can ask any one of our supplier partners and they will tell you that we don’t buy coffee on price. Our first revisit was locking in our annual Organic coffee contracts with Trabocca in Ethiopia. I have met Tesfaye Bekeley a few times, and he wouldn’t (and shouldn’t) recognise me in the street, even though I have bought hundreds of bags of coffee from Suke Quto.In terms of scale, Suke Quto is supplied by over 170 smallholder farmers, as well as having more than 220 hectares of coffee plantation; it is huge, and James Gourmet Coffee is relatively tiny. We are big fans and enjoy being involved.
**2025: What Now?**
It’s early 2025, and we received samples from Operation Cherry Red, in a “getting the band back together” anniversary, revitalising the project and recognising smallholder farmers in Ethiopia. The initiative was to pay more money for higher quality and elevate the smallholders. Though my hopes seemed unrealistic, the coffees turned out to be decent, but not comparable to the originals. By chance, we were sent samples from Omwani and Mecota Trading around the same time. These coffees were beyond our hopes. Goals for both projects are the same. We may be able to pay more and buy a whole producer’s crop over the years to come. The possibility of helping with shade netting and a huller, over time, could happen, too.
Who and what is Mecota Trading?
Maota Raya worked with TechnoServe for 15 years, which is a “not-for-profit” organisation. “We help farmers to increase productivity through training on improved agricultural practices”. There are some great statistics on that link, if you are interested. Mecota has taken that knowledge and started working with 10 smallholder farmers across Ethiopia. Coffee values have increased by helping with growing and processing techniques.
“The company’s long-term goal is to establish its own washing and drying station near coffee-producing communities, which would streamline processing and reduce logistical challenges. This facility would help increase Mecota’s processing capabilities and expand its impact on the local coffee sector. Mecota also intends to eventually offer farmers pre-financing, so that they can focus on cultivating exceptional coffees without having to worry about money”. This is a rarity in a market dominated by anonymous, pooled coffee lots.
Ethiopian Coffee Varietals
Jimma Agricultural Research Centre, also known as “JARC,” founded in 1967, is part of the Ethiopian Institute for Agricultural Research, or “EIAR.” Researchers at JARC share findings with Ethiopian farmers and have released 42 coffee varieties for different regions. JARC focuses on quality, diseases, pests, agronomy, soil, conservation practices, and socioeconomics.
For many years, we have used terms like “landrace” or “heirloom” varietals, as many remain unknown. Thankfully, this is changing. It’s exciting to think that undiscovered varietals still await discovery.
In Ethiopian coffee competitions, you may see numbered varietals that come from JARC
Conclusion
As a company, we can’t make Ethiopian coffee more sustainable on our own. Hopefully, we can be part of a bigger change by buying coffee this way. Without sounding overly sentimental, when we get our Ethiopian coffees right, almost everything else falls into place. Ethiopia serves as such an important coffee origin. We have the opportunity to be part of something amazing here.
What do you think? Are you a big fan of Ethiopian coffee, too?
