Ethiopia is one of the three Barefoot focus countries. These are countries where we have visited the farms, broken bread with the farmers and have long standing relationships. They produce exceptional coffees with widely varying flavors based on terroir and varietal. We have brought in several amazing farms and coffees from this wonderful country.
Situated in eastern Africa, Ethiopia has an area of 1,127,127 sq km. Ethiopia is located at 8 00 N, 38 00 E . Comparatively, the area occupied by Ethiopia is slightly smaller than twice the size of Texas. Ethiopia is a country of vast contrasts in geology, cultures and environment.
Coffee Arabica has been grown for hundreds of years in the wild forests of the south-western Kaffa and Buno highlands of the country . Ethiopia is the primary centre of origin and genetic diversity of the Arabica coffee plant, earlier known as jasminum arabicum. Living in the birthplace of Arabica coffee, Ethiopians have been drinking coffee longer than anyone else. Coffee is the national drink, with over 50% of the country’s production internally consumed. Around 25% of the Ethiopian population is involved with coffee production, which represents over 50% of Ethiopia’s gross domestic product (GDP).
The potential for coffee production in Ethiopia is very high, thanks to the country’s excellent altitude, ample rainfall, optimum temperature ranges, appropriate planting materials and fertile soil. Furthermore, the country is of particular interest to the coffee world because it is where coffee arabica originated, and has the best inherent quality for producing great coffee and the highest number of varietals. The total area covered by coffee is about 400,000 hectares, with a total production of 200,000 tonnes of clean coffee per annum. During Barefoot’s trip to Ethiopia in 2008 the Ethiopian coffee authority announced an ambitious plan to double their production of super high quality coffee and to effectively trademark their coffee origins. Ethiopia is well on its way to this goal already.
Altitude
In Ethiopia, 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.
Rainfall
Annual rainfall in the coffee-growing regions of the country varies from 1,500-2,500mm. Where precipitation is less, as in the eastern part of the country, which has only 1,000 mm per annum, it is supplemented with irrigation. It is not only the total rainfall which is important for good production but also its eight-month distribution. Rainfall distribution in the southern and eastern parts of the country is bimodal, and in the western part is monomodal. These distribution patterns enable the country to harvest coffee at different times of the year, ensuring a supply of fresh beans all year round.
Temperature
Coffee Arabica grows best in the cool, shady environment of the forests of the Ethiopian highlands. The ideal temperature for coffee Arabica is considered 15-25ºc. This temperature prevails in most of the country’s coffee-growing areas.
Planting Material
Because the country is the center of origin of coffee Arabica, the variability of the plant character is very wide, making possible planting materials which are disease-resistant, high-yielding and of top quality. This is nature’s gift to Ethiopia in particular and to the world in general, and it requires special care and proper utilization.
Soils
The soils in the southern and western parts of the coffee-growing regions of Ethiopia are of volcanic origin, with a high nutrient-holding capacity for clay minerals. The Mesozoic layer, made up of sandstone and calcium carbonate, is found in the eastern part of the coffee-growing region. All the coffee-growing regions have fertile, friable, loamy soils, with a depth of at least 1.5m. The topsoil is dominantly dark-brown or brownish in color, with a PH ranging mostly from 5-6.8 (water extract). One outstanding characteristic of the soil is that its fertility is maintained by organic recycling, i.e., through litter fall, pruning and root residue from the perennial, coffee and shade trees.
In addition, the small coffee farmers, who are the major producers, use organic fertilizers to supplement the natural fertility of the soil. Most buyers know that the bulk of coffee produced in Ethiopia qualifies as organically-grown although not all of it is certified by a third party.
The main coffee growing regions in Ethiopia are Yirgacheffe, Harrar, Sidama, Jimma, Limu, Kaffa, Buni, For the 2008-2009 season Barefoot is putting a major effort into supporting the excellent farmers and coffees of Ethiopia. Barefoot will continue to partner with our long term partners Trabocca and Dominion Trading even as we expand our partnership to new farms and co-ops in Ethiopia. All of these coffees have radically different flavor profiles from each other allowing you to literally taste the difference micro-climates make in three distinct coffees from the same country.
Enjoy the flavors and colors of Ethiopia. Enjoy the coffee and the people. Remember with each sip all of the hard working people who struggled to bring you these amazing coffees. Barefoot was one of the original Ethiopian Coffee Network Licensees and is absolutely in love with the coffee and people of this wonderful nation.
Read more about Barfoot’s many amazing Ethiopian farm partners…