Members of the East Coast Impact Angel Network (EIAN) agreed to invest
into METAD, an Ethiopian specialty coffee company in October 2013. METAD
will use the investment to establish a coffee processing facility on
its coffee farm located near Yirgacheffe in the district of Hambela in
the Oromia Region of Ethiopia. Read more here...
News and views on Ethiopia's finest specialty coffees - Sidamo, Harar, Yirgacheffe and Others
Writer pours her heart into sharing Ethiopians' coffee-drinking custom (Washington Post)
“For the millions of Americans who drink coffee every day, grabbing a cup is usually a simple affair. But for the 200,000 Ethiopians who make the Washington area home, coffee is more than just a morning or afternoon pick-me-up: In their homeland, drinking coffee is close to a sacred ritual.” … read the original article on The Washington Post.
Coffee producers chase the high (Financial Times)
The “morning coffee ritual” is spreading through the world.As the aroma of the freshly brewed beverage reaches markets such as China, and consumption skyrockets in producing nations such as Brazil, the global coffee industry is witnessing a boom that could reshape the market and lead to higher prices.
For centuries, poor farmers in Africa and Latin America have grown the commodity to satisfy the daily caffeine fix of rich consumers in the US, Japan and western Europe.
While the so-called traditional markets remain central to the industry, markets in Asia, Africa and Latin America are increasingly important...(READ MORE)
For centuries, poor farmers in Africa and Latin America have grown the commodity to satisfy the daily caffeine fix of rich consumers in the US, Japan and western Europe.
While the so-called traditional markets remain central to the industry, markets in Asia, Africa and Latin America are increasingly important...(READ MORE)
Assefa brewing a market for Ethiopian coffee farmers
"In Ethiopia, coffee is like wine is to the French," Assefa said. "It's a ritual."
At the tender age of 15, Tebabu Assefa fled his well-to-do home in his native city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, disguised as a peasant boy.
He sought to escape the chaos, executions and imprisonments that followed the overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie's government by a military junta in the mid-1970s.
"A lot of students were talking about going to the jungle and organizing a violent rebellion," said Assefa, 50, one of the first business owners to incorporate through Maryland's benefit corporation law that started in the fall. "People were being arrested and killed. I lost some friends but not family members. ... It was just too crazy of a time."
So without his parents' knowledge, he and a few friends made it out to Kenya, where he stayed with a friend and finished high school. Assefa assumed he'd return home in a year or two, but he said the situation in Ethiopia deteriorated. He later moved to the Netherlands and Italy, finally immigrating to the U.S. in 1980.
On a trip home in 2003, he befriended coffee farmers, who he said are poor and are paid in pennies while some coffee brands sell for $13 or more per pound in local stores...Read more
At the tender age of 15, Tebabu Assefa fled his well-to-do home in his native city of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, disguised as a peasant boy.
He sought to escape the chaos, executions and imprisonments that followed the overthrow of Emperor Haile Selassie's government by a military junta in the mid-1970s.
"A lot of students were talking about going to the jungle and organizing a violent rebellion," said Assefa, 50, one of the first business owners to incorporate through Maryland's benefit corporation law that started in the fall. "People were being arrested and killed. I lost some friends but not family members. ... It was just too crazy of a time."
So without his parents' knowledge, he and a few friends made it out to Kenya, where he stayed with a friend and finished high school. Assefa assumed he'd return home in a year or two, but he said the situation in Ethiopia deteriorated. He later moved to the Netherlands and Italy, finally immigrating to the U.S. in 1980.
On a trip home in 2003, he befriended coffee farmers, who he said are poor and are paid in pennies while some coffee brands sell for $13 or more per pound in local stores...Read more
Changes in the Ethiopian coffee sector causes frustration
Changes in the Ethiopian coffee sector have caused frustration and challenge for many in the specialty industry, but after ongoing dialogue with SCAA and other representatives, the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX) has taken several steps toward a solution. As part of SCAA's advocacy for its members, SCAA has been actively involved throughout the process and is offering a webinar to explain the situation and new initiatives, according tp http://www.scaablog.org
Starbucks delays opening Ethiopia support center (IHT)
NEW YORK: Starbucks Corp. said it is not sure when it will open a center in Ethiopia to support coffee farmers due to the downturn in the global economy and delays in opening a similar center in Rwanda
In a statement, the gourmet coffee company said it had originally hoped its Ethiopian Farmer Support Center would be open by now, but delays in opening the Rwanda center and "the global slowdown in the economy have made it challenging for us to move as quickly as we would like."
"We remain committed to opening a Farmer Support Center
The company first announced the two Africa support centers in 2007. The company had planned to open both of the centers in 2008. The center in Rwanda
Starbucks will use both centers to work with coffee farmers to improve coffee quality and help them produce more coffee that can be purchased by specialty coffee buyers.
International Restaurants in Amsterdam
Amsterdam is known as much for its wild nightlife as for its museums and beautiful canals. But it also has a distinctly international flavour in the form of its restaurants.
Herrie offers French and Mediterranean cuisine within a glamorous and sophisticated environment. Founded by TV chef Herman den Blijker and associate David as part of a competition, the restaurant is now up and running. Of major interest is the fact that there is no set menu in the upstairs lounge. You can request anything and specify any number of courses. For something a little more casual, the downstairs area offers finger food and cocktails.
Olav is set up to look like a 1950s living room. The traditional dark brown panelling on grey walls and granny chairs all add to the ambience. The rates are extremely reasonable for a four course meal and the menu changes frequently to keep you constantly surprised.
The owner of Foodism in the old Leliestraat is from the former Yugoslavia. Guests are invited to try the sandwiches, grilled vegetables, goat's cheese, and mint and to wash it down with fresh juice or a smoothie. Pastas, soups, and salads are served during the evenings.
The Supperclub Cruise is themed for a ship and comes complete with a "surprise" menu, DJ, performance artists, and a unisex toilet. The staff are said to be extremely friendly and the ambience is perfect for business lunches and romantic interludes alike.
Kilimanjaro is excellent for a taste of Africa. The atmosphere is friendly and relaxed. The menu features dishes from across the continent with an emphasis on the Ethiopian style of enjera pancake meals. Try the Mongooza beer, which comes in a calabash, or an exotic cocktail. At the end of the meal, you can opt for freshly ground Ethiopian coffee…and popcorn. It's different, but definitely worth a try.
Mamouche is a wonderful Moroccan restaurant in De Pijp. Its Parisian flavour makes it both romantic and elegant. You'll find Moroccan dishes like couscous with saffron-baked pumpkin or Ahram, which is a dark pyramid covered in a nutty caramel sauce.
For an Indian flavour, check out Balraj. Serving up curry for more than 25 years, the restaurant has a large fan following for its snacks, soups, and meals as well. This is arguably one of Amsterdam's best Indian restaurants. Dig into the Chicken Madras and wash it down with a cup of masala chai (spiced tea).
About the Author:
Orson Johnson writes for Holiday Velvet, a website providing Amsterdam accommodation rentals & Vacation rentals apartments.
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Ethiopia wins U.S. trademark rights for coffee brand (Reuters)
ADDIS ABABA, March 5 (Reuters) - Ethiopia has won trademark rights for its specialty Sidamo coffee in the United States, the country's intellectual property office said on Wednesday.
Africa's largest coffee producer had a protracted tussle with Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O: Quote, Profile, Research) last year over the use of the name in the United States.
"Ethiopia was forced to wait for years to secure the certificate...but now the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has confirmed that Ethiopia is the sole owner of the Sidamo coffee trademark," the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office (EIPO) said in a statement.
Ethiopia has already secured trademark rights for Yirgacheffee coffee in the United States.
Starbucks and Addis Ababa agreed to end their dispute in November 2007.
Ethiopia has filed an application for trademark rights for its Harar coffee, the statement said.
It said Ethiopia had signed agreements with more than 70 global companies to promote its coffees.
Ethiopia's annual production is estimated at over 330,000 tonnes. It plans to generate $500 million by exporting over 140,000 tonnes of coffee in 2008.
Ethiopia is recognised as the historic birthplace of coffee and the source of some of the finest coffee in the world. (Reporting by Tsegaye Tadesse; editing by Michael Roddy) (For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: africa.reuters.com/ )
Africa's largest coffee producer had a protracted tussle with Starbucks Corp (SBUX.O: Quote, Profile, Research) last year over the use of the name in the United States.
"Ethiopia was forced to wait for years to secure the certificate...but now the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has confirmed that Ethiopia is the sole owner of the Sidamo coffee trademark," the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office (EIPO) said in a statement.
Ethiopia has already secured trademark rights for Yirgacheffee coffee in the United States.
Starbucks and Addis Ababa agreed to end their dispute in November 2007.
Ethiopia has filed an application for trademark rights for its Harar coffee, the statement said.
It said Ethiopia had signed agreements with more than 70 global companies to promote its coffees.
Ethiopia's annual production is estimated at over 330,000 tonnes. It plans to generate $500 million by exporting over 140,000 tonnes of coffee in 2008.
Ethiopia is recognised as the historic birthplace of coffee and the source of some of the finest coffee in the world. (Reporting by Tsegaye Tadesse; editing by Michael Roddy) (For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: africa.reuters.com/ )
Starbucks agrees to pay premium price for Ethiopian coffees (Capital Ethiopia)
By Andualem Sisay and Kirubel Tadesse
A few months ago, Oxfam had accused US coffee chain Starbucks of denying Ethiopia more than 88 USD a year. Oxfam reported that Starbucks asked the National Coffee Association (NCA) to block the country's bid to trademark three types of coffee bean in the US but Starbucks had denied initiating any kind of opposition to Ethiopian trademark application.
It was also reported that the Ethiopian government filed its applications to trademark its coffee bean names - Sidamo, Harar and Yirgacheffe and at that time Oxfam claimed that Starbucks flagged up the application to the NCA, which then filed its opposition at the US Patent and Trademark Office.
After a months long dispute earlier this year, Starbucks has signed distribution, marketing and licensing agreements with Ethiopia and has agreed to assist in expanding consumer awareness of Ethiopia's coffee brands- Sidamo, Harar/Harrar and Yirgacheffe.
Howard Schultz, the Chairman of Starbucks who paid a three day visit to Addis Ababa this week with his senior officials, vows to pay premium prices for Ethiopian coffee.
Even if Prime Minister Meles showed no indication of agreeing that Ethiopia had gone the wrong routes to success; he seemed to be satisfied with the 'unprecedented decision' of Starbucks.
"All of the disagreements are behind us now because of the decision made by the chairman," said Prime Minister Meles, during a joint press briefing he gave with Howard Schultz, Starbucks Chairman, at the Prime Minister's office on Wednesday, November 28, 2007.
"He made an unprecedented decision in favoring our coffee farmers by recognizing their property rights. It has never done before for any other product from a country such as Ethiopia," he added.
"The issue of the trademark was never as contentious as it was reported," said Chairman Howard Schultz later on, in an exclusive interview with Capital on Thursday November 29, 2007 at Sheraton Addis.
He said: "We were having very positive discussions with representatives of the government for much of the past six months or so and the Ambassador has been to Seattle a number of times as have members of the coffee industry. Our interest has always been the same" .
Explaining the dispute, Schultz said: "The Ethiopian government wanted to potentially trade mark pieces of geography that stand for where the coffee is from, whether it is Harar or Sidamo or any other place and that is their privilege and their right. Starbucks as a company, we can't tell any government what to do or what not to do, we are just customers.
He added that the better way proposed was for Starbucks to be in total alignment with coffee farmers to build a partnership around sustainability, high quality premium coffee, and for that, Starbucks should pay a premium price for the coffee.
Starbucks has also indicated its readiness to support Ethiopian coffee farmers by opening a farmers support center in Addis Ababa in 2008.
The farmers support facility, which is the first in Africa and the only second after Costa Rica, is designed to enable Starbucks to work collaboratively with Ethiopian farmers to raise both the quality and production of the country's high quality specialty coffees.
During this visit, the chairman with his officials discussed the issue with some coffee farmers and coffee industry representatives.
Between 2002 and 2006, Starbucks increased its Ethiopian coffee purchases by nearly 400 percent. Today, Ethiopian coffee is found in nearly all of Starbuck's U.S stores.
Congratulations to Ethiopian government and Ethiopian coffee farmers
It is a great victory for all who have been supporting and standing by the Ethiopian government and Ethiopian coffee farmers to give the coffee farmers what they deserve - fair price for their coffee.
We are all glad and happy that Starbucks and Ethiopia have finalized a licensing agreement giving Ethiopians control over their specialty coffee brands such as Sidamo, Harar and Yirga Chefe.
We are all thankful to Oxfam who pressurized and pushed Starbucks to eventually compromise and reach an agreement. Well done Oxfam!
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