Page 55 - #45 English

Ethiopians are known to drink up to as
much as 60 percent of their own coffee crop
at home. Coffee drinking continues to be
considered one of the ultimate pleasures of
daily life.

Dating back almost 40 years the ing,” Mohammed told Tea & Coffee Trade and economic progress is a welcome sign
Limmu Coffee Farm was originally estab- Journal during a visit to Limmu. He added of development starting to take hold in
lished as the first modern coffee plantation that the social importance of the Limmu Ethiopia. And just as it was in the earliest
in Ethiopia in the early 1970s but went farm, which Horizon bought together with beginnings, coffee drinking continues to
into decay after years of socialist inspired the Bebeka farm in Kaffa for about $80 be regarded as one of the ultimate plea-
policies. That is until it was purchased in million, were a big part of the decision to sures of daily life.
November 2013 by Horizon Plantations buy the farms and get involved in coffee Villagers in Ethiopia say the act of
Plc., which is owned by Ethiopian born production. drinking coffee is transformational “as
Saudi billionaire Mohammed Al Amoudi, “Coffee has always been at the center each cup changes the inner persona of
who has invested hundreds of millions of of development in Ethiopia and when you the one who drinks it.” The world of cof-
dollars in Ethiopia from agriculture to car look at the Limmu farm alone we have fee will be happy to watch as Ethiopian
tires. 7,100 permanent workers and a total farm producers continue to increase production
“The Limmu Coffee Farm is made up population of 38,000 people, so through of some of the world’s most famous and
of six farms that in total have over 12,000 this project we can make a really important finest beans.
hectares of land of which almost 8,000 contribution to the socio-economic devel-
hectares are cultivated with coffee and opment of Ethiopia,” said Mohammed. Amesege’nallo Ethiopia—Thanks for
in production,” said Kemal Mohammed, From the rural hills of Jimma and bringing coffee to the world!
operations manager for Horizon Planta- Kaffa to the middle of the streets in the
tions. “When we took over the farm a little bustling capital of Addis Ababa, coffee Maja Wallengren has been writing about
over a year ago total production was only culture as well as economic development coffee for more than 20 years from over
around 83,000 bags of coffee but we expect is growing fast. For a country that less 40 coffee producing countries across
production to at least double in the next than 10 years ago was still rated among South-East Asia, East and West Africa
five years thanks to the inputs, renovation the world’s two to five poorest, the visible and across Latin America. She can be
and agricultural practices we are apply- improvement of real social development reached at: mwallengren@outlook.com.

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