ÄTHIOPIEN SIDAMO BIO + FAIRTRADE

Ethiopia is considered the birthplace of coffee. An unproven story goes that a shepherd named Kaldi noticed his goats were unusually active and couldn’t settle down at night after eating the red fruit of a coffee shrub. As apparently was customary at the time, the shepherd then went to a monastery and told the abbot what he had observed. The monks investigated and discovered that the roasted beans could be brewed as a drink, giving them more energy for prayer.

Today, Ethiopia is one of the most important producers of Arabica coffee—currently ranking fifth worldwide—with an impressive variety of different varieties, mostly grown by small-scale farmers. Fifteen million people currently work directly or indirectly in coffee production, which accounts for more than a quarter of the country’s annual exports.

This coffee grows in Sidamo, the country’s southernmost and most productive coffee-growing region, where conditions are ideal for coffee cultivation, including abundant rainfall, optimal temperatures, and nutrient-rich soil. The coffee is grown on small farms in accordance with organic and FAIRTRADE standards. Washed Sidamo coffees are distinguished by delicate wine-like notes, sweet citrus highlights, and a pleasant balance of body and acidity.