A trip to Ethiopia is something many people in the coffee world dream of, and recently Mary and John from Mahers Coffee had the chance to experience it for themselves. Ethiopia is recognised as the birthplace of arabica coffee, so visiting the country offered a rare look into the roots of the industry. We’re delighted to share parts of their journey.

Our time began in Addis Ababa, more than 2,400 metres above sea level. With guidance from Dagi from YA Coffee, we were brought to the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange — the central point where all coffee is checked, graded and traded. Ethiopia has its own detailed grading structure, separating commercial coffee from speciality lots, and classifying production into Wild Forest, Farm Forest, Smallholder and Commercial. Coffee is a major part of Ethiopia’s livelihood, accounting for a significant share of farmland and supporting millions of families.

At YA Café, Dagi talked us through how the industry operates and introduced us to the Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony. Using a traditional Jabenna, finely-ground dark coffee is brewed into a rich, concentrated cup — an unforgettable experience.

We set off early the next morning to avoid the heavy traffic leaving the city, travelling south with Benti Adugna from BNT Industry & Trading. Our first major stop was the Sidamo Dara washing station, which receives cherries from around 160 farms. Watching the sorting process up close highlighted just how much manual care is involved.  Many of the Ethiopian coffees we offer at Coffee Beans Ireland come from smallholders and washing stations just like these, where precision processing defines the final cup.
A team of women remove defects from the parchment coffee to maintain the highest possible grade before milling.

Further south in Yirgacheffe, we visited the Aricha washing station at roughly 1,900 metres. Both washed parchment and naturals were drying on raised African beds, with staff continuously checking for imperfections. We were served coffee made in the traditional way, and the fruit-forward flavours created by the processing were immediately noticeable.

The next stage of the trip brought us to Gelana Abaya in Oromia, where Solomon and Robel have transformed a vast area of land into a developing coffee farm. With 30 hectares now planted, they hope to ship their first full container of naturally processed coffee this year. Seeing how far the project has come was genuinely inspiring.

Before heading back to Addis Ababa, we visited BNT’s dry mill — the final point before export. Here, the parchment coffee from multiple stations is stored, milled, graded and made ready for international shipment. Tasting washed and natural coffees side by side helped us understand just how much regional differences and processing methods shape the final cup.

Ethiopia left a lasting impression on us. Meeting the people behind the coffees, seeing the level of work involved, and building new relationships has strengthened our connection to the country. These partnerships will allow us to bring even more high-quality Ethiopian coffees into Ireland to roast at home in Cork.