Legend of Kaldi — The Goat Who Discovered Coffee
Legend of Kaldi — The Goat Who Discovered Coffee
According to Ethiopian tradition, the energizing power of coffee was discovered by a goat herder named Kaldi. While tending his flock, Kaldi noticed his goats behaving strangely — dancing, jumping, and full of energy after eating bright red berries from a nearby shrub growing wild in the highlands.
The Curious Goatherder
Curious, Kaldi tried the berries himself and felt the same energetic rush. He gathered the fruit and brought it to a local monastery, hoping the monks could explain the strange effect.
Fire, Fragrance & First Roasts
The monks dismissed the berries as dangerous and tossed them into the fire. As the fruit burned, the seeds inside — the first coffee beans — began to roast, filling the room with a rich and unfamiliar aroma. The monks raked them from the embers, ground them, and mixed them with hot water. This became the first known cup of coffee.
Coffee & Ethiopia Today
Ethiopia has nearly 94 million people, and roughly 15 million — about 16% of the population — rely on coffee for income. Coffee remains the country’s most important cash crop and its largest export.
In 2001, Ethiopia’s Federal Cooperative Commission opened the coffee market to direct farmer exports. This gave cooperative unions more power to negotiate fair-trade agreements, access training, improve quality, and empower women and youth within the industry.
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