A study case on coffee (Coffea arabica): Limu Coffe - IRD

5.) Coffee tradition
Instead of mentioning innovations, tradition better reflects Ethiopian and Limu coffees
typicity. Moreover wet processing could be considered as the only innovation at production
level, since it appeared in the 1970’s 54
.
5.1) Cultural inscription and uses of the product
The relationship between Ethiopians and coffee is deep-rooted, and production and
consumption are closely linked to Ethiopian history and culture. Consequently, national
production is estimated but never exactly known since national consumption reaches high
levels, distinguishing Ethiopia as a single coffee producing country. Nowadays, these links
are valorised and used by foreign development agencies and commercial publicities since Fair
Trade and Organic markets grew and became more important. Legends giving light to the
coffee origin are digging up and sometimes improved. The most famous is undoubtedly
Kaldi’s one, this young shepherd surprised by the excitation coffee trees provoked to his
goats. This section proposes to give a brief Ethiopian history and sample of legends
concerning coffee and a look into its different national and Kaffa/Limu uses and ways of
consumption; it leans against the works of Mercier (1980-2), my observations and interviews
of old Limu Genet Muslims traders and peasants. It must be considered that the woreda
history and consequently the woreda coffee past can not be easily reconstituted because of the
absence of written documents, and due to the fact that its population is the result of successive
immigrations where native people are rare.
5.1.1) The Ethiopian coffee ceremony
Even in modern Ethiopia, from Kebena or Casanchis condominiums of Addis Abeba
to Jima city center buildings, women commonly prepare the traditional coffee ceremony
which can last for hours aiming to bring people closer in a comfortable atmosphere. This
ceremony especially takes place in private homes, but is part of the daily routine of buna bets
(coffee houses, drinking bars) and hotels. In this way coffee ceremony is first of all a social
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Refer 1.2) Description and distinctiveness of the product: two ways of processing coffee, the dry and wet
methods.
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