Ethiopia's Economy
Coffee: Ethiopia's Gift to the World
How Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, depends on coffee exports, how smallholders grow it, and the role of the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange.
Coffee originated in Ethiopia.
Exports
Coffee is one of Ethiopia’s largest export earners.
Smallholders
Millions of small farmers grow coffee, often in forest gardens.
Specialty coffee
Regions like Yirgacheffe and Sidamo are prized by specialty buyers.
Ethiopia Commodity Exchange
Set up in 2008, the ECX created a trading system with grading and warehouses, helping farmers get fairer prices.
Coffee ceremony
Ethiopians also drink much of their own coffee in traditional ceremonies.
Risks
Dependence on one crop exposes Ethiopia to world prices and climate change.
A smallholder sells coffee cherries to a washing station; the beans later sell at premium prices in specialty cafes abroad.
It originated in Ethiopia.
- Coffee originated in Ethiopia.
- It's a major export.
- Millions of smallholders grow it.
- The ECX was set up in 2008.
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