Monday, February 22, 2010

Ethiopian Coffee

     I know I'm probably going to sound like one of those "Cadillac liberals" as my Republican father used to say (I'm a Democrat), someone who takes a holier-than-thou attitude because she brings reusable bags to the grocery store, or uses public transportation, or doesn't watch television, and makes sure everyone else knows about it.  I don't want to come across like that.
     But planning to adopt a child from another part of the globe has made me more aware of, well, another part of the globe.  What happens in Ethiopia matters to me because my child lives there.  His/her birth parents are trying to survive there.
     I started buying Ethiopian coffee because it made me feel closer to my child.  Goofy, I know, but I take what I can get in these early days of the process.  While doing a little research, I learned how very important coffee is to the Ethiopian economy.  Here are some stats from a great website called www.ethiopianrestaurant.com :

Coffee Ethiopia's Number 1 Export
Ethiopia's economy is based on agriculture, which accounts for half of GDP, 60% of exports, and 80% of total employment. Coffee is critical to the Ethiopian economy with exports of some $156 million in 2002. (adapted from CIA - Fact book).
At present Japan stands second in purchasing Ethiopia's coffee after Germany.
Today, there are over 100 Ethiopian coffee exporters, compared to just 17 during the Derg. The largest is Nejat International PLC, with 11% of total exports, followed by government-owned Ethiopian Coffee Export Enterprise (8% of the total) and Moplace Trading Co. Ltd. (5%).
Coffee Farms:331,130 peasant farms
19,000 state farm coffee areas
Coffee Workers:about 12 million
Shade-Grown:55% light shade
33% medium
17% heavy
Major Coffee Growing Regions:Harrar,
Sidamo,
Yirgacheffe (in Sidamo),
Limmu,
Djimmah,
Lekempti,
Bebeka
Botanical Cultivars:Native arabica (arabica coffee is indigenous to Ethiopia)
Harvest Times:Washed: August-December
Dry: October to March
Exports all year
Certified Organic:None certified: all coffee grown organic by tradition
Rank in Production::1st in Africa
7th in World

 
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3 comments:

  1. MaggieFebruary 22, 2010 at 9:28 AM

    Ivana, where do you find Ethiopian coffee? Where can you buy it?

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  2. IVANA KIDDFebruary 22, 2010 at 9:34 AM

    I first noticed it at Trader Joe's. They also have it at Whole Foods. I'm not a Starbucks person, but they might have it there, too. I know Starbucks supports Fair Trade coffee.

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  3. KariFebruary 22, 2010 at 2:07 PM

    What a neat way to feel connected to your new little one!! Thank you for sharing the importance of coffee exportation to Ethiopia. That is something I would never have thought of. It's fun to learn about other regions in the world, and I'd imagine knowing you're going to have such a wonderful and permanent connection to there makes it even more exciting!! :)

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