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Origin · Country profile

Ethiopia

The home of wild arabica and Africa’s largest coffee producer, an arabica-only origin where most coffee grows under trees on smallholder plots and a large share of the crop is drunk at home.

Source-checkedby Coffearium verification pass· Last source-checked 2 Nov 2026· Prepared with AI assistance· 28 sources (26 tier A)· 6 contested· Updated 2 Nov 2026· Literature last searched 2 Nov 2026
Reading depth
Contents
  • Ethiopia was the fifth-largest producer in 2025/26, with 11.56 of the world’s 178.8 million 60-kg bags, all arabica, by the count of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA).1
  • Arabica is native to south-western Ethiopia; in a 2017 study, coffee was grown mostly at 1,200–2,200 m.11,9
  • About 5.9 million farmers grow coffee, according to the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority (ECTA); smallholders produce 90% of the crop on plots averaging under half a hectare.4
  • ECTA’s 2026 guide, which states no year for the data, gives the shares of four production systems as 50% garden, 35% semi-forest, 10% forest and 5% plantation coffee.8
  • USDA estimates that Ethiopia drank 4.5 million bags in 2025/26, 38.9% of its crop (our calculation); earlier USDA reports put the share at about half.1,5,6

Snapshot#

Ethiopia is the fifth-largest coffee producer, and the largest in Africa in the tables of the US Department of Agriculture (our reading). USDA puts its 2025/26 crop at 11.56 million bags of 60 kg.1 That is 6.5% of the world total of 178.8 million bags (our calculation).1 Brazil, Vietnam, Colombia and Indonesia produced more that year.1

The crop has grown fast. USDA counted 8.15 million bags in 2021/22 and forecasts a record 12.1 million for 2026/27, on more area and higher yields.1 USDA attributes the growth to the replacement of over half of the cultivated area with higher-yielding varieties over four years.1 On the 2026/27 forecast, Ethiopia would pass Indonesia, at 11.38 million bags, and become fourth (our reading of the table).1

FAO statistics give a lower figure. For 2024, FAO lists 575,696 t of green coffee, fifth among 78 countries and 5.2% of their total (our calculation).3 FAO imputed this value; it did not come from an official national figure (see Contested).3

Ethiopia grows only arabica (C. arabica). USDA lists no robusta production for the country.1 Much of the crop stays at home: USDA estimates that Ethiopians drank 4.5 million bags in 2025/26, 38.9% of the crop (our calculation).1 Earlier USDA country reports put the share at 50–55% (2021) and “nearly half” (2025).6,5

Where coffee grows#

Arabica is native to south-western Ethiopia. Kew’s Plants of the World Online gives its native range as south-western Ethiopia, eastern South Sudan and Mount Marsabit in northern Kenya.11 How the wild species is distributed is covered in Coffea arabica.

The main coffee areas lie in the south-west and the south-east, in Oromia and the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Region, as the regions were named in 2017.9 Production in the north, in Amhara and Benishangul-Gumuz, is modest or minor, according to a 2017 study.9 In that study, coffee was mostly grown at 1,200–2,200 m.9

The Rift Valley. The Great Rift Valley divides the coffee land in two. The 2017 study modelled the areas east and west of the Rift separately, because their climates differ.9 It groups the coffee areas into five zones:9

  • South West Zone. Wellega, Illubabor, Jimma-Limu, Kaffa, Tepi and Bench Maji.9
  • South East Zone. Sidamo, Yirgacheffe, Bale and the Central Eastern Highlands.9
  • Harar Zone. Arsi, West Hararge and East Hararge.9
  • Rift Zone. Rift North and Rift South.9
  • North Zone. Amhara and Benishangul-Gumuz.9

Regions. Oromia grows most of the coffee. In ECTA data averaged over 2023/24–2025/26, Oromia produced 59.5% of the crop.4 South-West Ethiopia followed with 13.7%, Sidama with 12.9% and South Ethiopia with 7.1%.4 The full list is under Coffee by region.

Relief map of the Ethiopian highlands with the coffee zone at 1,200–2,200 metres and layers for production by region, the ECX origin names, wild coffee forests, research stations and places in the history of coffeeJimma AJimma BSidama ASidama BSidama CHarar AHarar BHarar CHarar DLekemptiForestSOUTH SUDANSUDANERITREADJIBOUTISOMALIAKENYASOMALILANDEthiopian HighlandsRift ValleyBale MountainsLake TanaLake AbayaAddis AbabaJimmaHararDire DawaHawassaNekemteDilaBahir DarGondarKafaYayuShekaJARCAgaroBebekaTeppiGelesha12345
land at 1,200–2,200 m, where cultivated coffee is mostly found (Moat et al. 2017)9contours every 250 m, bold every 1,000 mdashed: zone bordersRelief: AWS Terrain Tiles; borders, lakes, towns: Natural Earth; zones and woredas: geoBoundaries
Interactive relief map of Ethiopia. Hatched: land at 1,200–2,200 m, where cultivated coffee was mostly found in a 2017 study. Layers: regional shares of production (ECTA data, 2023/24–2025/26 average); the areas named in the ECX contracts for unwashed coffee; UNESCO biosphere reserves with wild coffee; coffee research stations; and places in the history of coffee. Regions formed since 2020 and the contract areas are drawn from zone and woreda boundaries (geoBoundaries) and are approximate. Relief from AWS Terrain Tiles; borders and lakes from Natural Earth.9,4,18,21,22,23,27,12
0 m1,000 m2,000 m3,000 m4,000 mcoffee mostly grown at 1,200–2,200 m 9 Gambela lowlandsSouth-western highlandsOmo valleyRift ValleyBale MountainsEastern lowlands12334°E35°E36°E37°E38°E39°E40°E41°E42°E43°EResearch stations near 7°N, at their woreda centre: 1 Gelesha, 1,000 m · 2 Teppi, 1,200 m · 3 Bebeka, 1,368 m 27 Along 7°N, west to east; vertical scale about 100 times the horizontal. Terrain: AWS Terrain Tiles, 0.12° means.
Section along 7°N from the Gambela lowlands to the eastern lowlands, across the south-western highlands, the Omo valley, the Rift Valley and the Bale Mountains. Slopes at 1,200–2,200 m, where cultivated coffee was mostly found in a 2017 study, are marked; three research stations near 7°N are placed at their published altitude. Terrain from AWS Terrain Tiles (0.12° means).9,27

Climate and harvest#

The Rift also divides the rainfall. East of the Rift, rain falls in two seasons a year; in the west, it falls in one, according to the 2017 study.9 The Rift and South West zones receive the most rain, 1,320–1,690 mm a year.9 The Harar Zone and parts of the South East Zone receive the least, under 1,300 mm.9

In the Harar and South East zones, air temperatures peak between January and May. That is just before or during the spring rains, when coffee flowers.9

The main harvest runs from October to December, according to a 2026 USDA report.4 A 2000 FAO country profile gives the harvest season as August to January.19 Harvest calendars lists the FAO months; no source consulted for this entry gives harvest months by region. USDA counts Ethiopia’s crop in a marketing year from October to September.1

Farms and production systems#

Ethiopian coffee is a smallholder crop. About 5.9 million farmers grow coffee, according to ECTA as cited by USDA in 2026.4 Smallholders produce 90% of the crop. Their plots average less than half a hectare, often mixed with food crops.4 A 2017 study counted about four million smallholder farms (see Contested).9 Commercial farms cover about 143,000 ha, according to the same USDA report.4

Most coffee grows under trees. At least 80% of Ethiopia’s coffee comes from forests, forest-like habitats or farms with shade cover, according to the 2017 study.9 Research describes four production systems: forest, semi-forest, garden and plantation coffee.10 ECTA gives their shares as follows:8

System What it is Share of production (ECTA guide, May 2026; data year not stated)
Forest coffee Coffee growing naturally in native montane forest, picked with little intervention; canopy cover often above 60%8 10%8
Semi-forest coffee Managed forest where producers selectively prune and manage the natural shade trees; usually above 40–60% canopy cover8 35%8
Garden coffee Grown around homesteads in mixed farming, with fruit trees and other shade species8 50%8
Plantation coffee Larger estates, state, private or investor-owned; mostly shade-grown, often with about 20% canopy cover8 5%8

The guide was published in May 2026 but does not state the year or survey behind these shares, so they may describe an earlier period.8 Shade and agroforestry explains how shade affects coffee in general.

Varieties#

Ethiopia’s local landraces and released varieties are described in Ethiopian landraces. Diversity is highest in the forest coffees of the south-western highlands, according to a 2008 review.10 The naming of landraces is particularly rich in garden coffee of old growing areas such as Harerge in the east.10

Replanting has changed many farms. ECTA reports that more than 450,000 ha were rejuvenated and replanted with improved, higher-yielding varieties, according to a 2025 USDA report.5

Processing#

Most Ethiopian coffee is dried in the cherry. In a 2021 USDA report, 70–80% of the coffee was unwashed or sun-dried and 20–30% washed.6 In 2025/26, fewer red cherries reached washing stations, and the share of natural coffee grew.4 How the two methods work is explained in Natural process and Washed process.

The International Coffee Organization (ICO) sorts arabica coffee into groups; in its glossary as reproduced by FAO, Ethiopia is in the Brazilian Naturals group, with Brazil and Paraguay.20

History#

Evidence. The wild plant is native to south-western Ethiopia.11 The usual assumption is that seeds were taken from Ethiopia to Yemen, according to a 2020 genome study.12 Coffee was cultivated in Yemen in the 15th and 16th centuries.12 A 2022 genetic study treats Yemen and the Hararghe region of Ethiopia as the main centres of domestication.13 How the narrow Yemeni stock became the world’s varieties is told in The arabica bottleneck.

Harar. Travellers and scientific observers reported coffee domesticated over a long period in the Harar region, the Zege peninsula, Sidamo and Welega, according to the 2020 study.12 The 2008 review calls Harerge an ancient growing zone.10

Mocha. The 2022 study names Mocha and Aden as the main historical ports through which coffee entered and left Yemen.13 No source consulted for this entry documents the route by which Ethiopian coffee reached those ports. Early coffee drinking in Arabia is covered in Coffeehouses from Mecca to Europe.

Legend. The best-known story is of a goatherd whose goats became lively after eating coffee. A review of a university-press history reports that the book calls such goat stories apocryphal.15 An early printed coffee-discovery story, from Rome in 1671, names no herder and is set in Yemen; it is examined in The Ethiopian coffee ceremony.14 No source consulted for this entry documents a historical goatherd or the name Kaldi.

Trade and institutions#

The authority. The Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority (ECTA) regulates and promotes coffee quality, marketing and export standards.5 It sets a minimum export price below which export contracts cannot be registered.4 As of 2026, it is building a national traceability platform for the EU deforestation rules.4 EUDR covers those rules.

The exchange. From December 2008, coffee was traded on the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX).16 Nearly all coffee trade then had to pass through the exchange; cooperatives and large estates were the exceptions.16 Commercial farmers and cooperative unions could export directly.7 According to a 2021 policy report, the great majority of smallholders are not members of cooperatives.28

Reforms. In July 2017, Parliament let washing stations, mills and farms of more than 2 ha, producing at least 1 t per hectare, export directly without the ECX.7 Proclamation No. 1051/2017 sets the rules for coffee marketing and quality control.17 Since the reform, individual exporters may own washing stations.16 In 2021, ECTA introduced “vertical integration”, which lets exporters buy directly from producers instead of through the ECX.5 As of 2026, farmers with at least 2 ha may export directly, and the ECX is no longer the only trading channel.4 The auction side is covered in Auctions and competitions.

Trade names. Ethiopian coffee is sold under regional names. The ECX contracts for unwashed coffee name 11 origins (our count), each a list of zones or districts.18 Sidama B, for example, includes Yirgachefee and Kochere, and Jimma A includes Limmu Seka and Limmu Kossa.18 The full list is under Origin names in the Deep dive. Grades are covered in Green coffee grading.

Exports. USDA counts 6.97 million bags exported in 2025/26, almost all as green coffee.1 It lowered its estimate by over 800,000 bags because more coffee than expected was drunk at home.1 Coffee earns around a quarter of Ethiopia’s export income, according to the 2017 study.9

Coffee at home. Ethiopians drink a large part of their crop. Estimates of the share differ between sources and years (see Contested).19,6,5,1 How coffee is prepared and eaten is told in The Ethiopian coffee ceremony and Coffee as food in Ethiopia.

010203040506070% of productionBar: a range given by the source · dot: a single valueFAO country profile, 1999data≈3519 USDA circular, 2021/22(our calculation)41.31 USDA country report, 202150–556 USDA circular, 2025/26(our calculation)38.91 USDA circular, 2026/27forecast(our calculation)41.31
Data table
Point% of productionSource
FAO country profile, 1999 data≈353519
USDA circular, 2021/22 (our calculation)41.341.31
USDA country report, 202150–5550–556
USDA circular, 2025/26 (our calculation)38.938.91
USDA circular, 2026/27 forecast (our calculation)41.341.31
Share of Ethiopia’s coffee crop drunk at home, by source and year. USDA circular shares are our calculation from its bag counts; the 2025 USDA report’s “nearly half” is not plotted.19,6,1

Production over time#

The FAO series shows a steep rise. Production was 229,980 t in 2000 and fell to 126,188 t in 2003.2 It passed 400,000 t in 2011 and 500,000 t in 2015.2 The highest value, 590,400 t, was in 2021; the 2024 value is 575,696 t.2

20002004200820122016202020240100200300400500600700Yearthousand t green coffeeEthiopia2
Data table
SeriesYearthousand t green coffeeSource
Ethiopia2000229.982
Ethiopia2001157.1552
Ethiopia20021602
Ethiopia2003126.1882
Ethiopia2004156.172
Ethiopia2005171.6312
Ethiopia2006241.4822
Ethiopia2007273.42
Ethiopia2008260.2392
Ethiopia2009265.4692
Ethiopia2010370.5692
Ethiopia2011442.272
Ethiopia2012449.742
Ethiopia2013392.0062
Ethiopia2014467.862
Ethiopia2015501.242
Ethiopia2016494.8192
Ethiopia2017549.5312
Ethiopia2018573.9862
Ethiopia2019573.582
Ethiopia2020584.792
Ethiopia2021590.42
Ethiopia2022545.5662
Ethiopia2023559.42
Ethiopia2024575.6962
Green coffee production of Ethiopia, 2000–2024, in thousand tonnes, from FAO statistics by calendar year. The 2024 value is imputed by FAO.2,3
Year t Year t Year t
2000 229,9802 2009 265,4692 2018 573,9862
2001 157,1552 2010 370,5692 2019 573,5802
2002 160,0002 2011 442,2702 2020 584,7902
2003 126,1882 2012 449,7402 2021 590,4002
2004 156,1702 2013 392,0062 2022 545,5662
2005 171,6312 2014 467,8602 2023 559,4002
2006 241,4822 2015 501,2402 2024 575,6962
2007 273,4002 2016 494,8192
2008 260,2392 2017 549,5312

The USDA series runs higher. For 2021/22–2025/26, USDA gives 8.15, 7.30, 9.13, 11.46 and 11.56 million bags.1 In tonnes, 11.56 million bags are about 694,000 t (our calculation), above any FAO value. FAO counts calendar years, USDA marketing years from October to September.3,1 No source consulted for this entry explains the gap.

Coffee by region#

The regional figures consulted come from ECTA, as published by USDA in 2026. They give each region’s share of production, averaged over the marketing years 2023/24 to 2025/26.4 The region names are those of the source.

Region Share of production, 2023/24–2025/26 average
Oromia 59.5%4
South-West Ethiopia 13.7%4
Sidama 12.9%4
South Ethiopia 7.1%4
Central Ethiopia 3.7%4
Gambella 1.5%4
Amhara 1.1%4

The seven listed shares add up to 99.5%; the source does not name the rest.4 It gives no area or tonnage by region, and no source consulted gives figures by zone.

010203040506070% of national productionOromia59.5%4 South-West Ethiopia13.7%4 Sidama12.9%4 South Ethiopia7.1%4 Central Ethiopia3.7%4 Gambella1.5%4 Amhara1.1%4
Data table
% of national productionSource
Oromia59.5%4
South-West Ethiopia13.7%4
Sidama12.9%4
South Ethiopia7.1%4
Central Ethiopia3.7%4
Gambella1.5%4
Amhara1.1%4
Share of Ethiopia’s coffee production by region, average of marketing years 2023/24–2025/26, from ECTA data published by USDA.4

Origin names#

The ECX contract for unwashed coffee defines each origin by the zones or districts it covers.18 The names follow the spelling of the contract.

Origin Areas covered (as listed)
Jimma A Limmu Seka, Limmu Kossa, Manna, Gomma, Gummay, Seka Chekoressa, Kersa, Shebe and Gera18
Jimma B Bedelle, Loppa, Chorra, Yayu and Alididu Dedessa18
Sidama A Borena, Benssa, Guji, Arbigona and Arroressa18
Sidama B Wenago, Yirgachefee, Kochere, Dale Zuria, A. Wendo, Dale, Chiko, Dara, Shebedino, Amaro, Wensho and Loko Abaya18
Sidama C Kembata & Timbaro, Wellayta, Derashe and W. Arsi (Nonsebo)18
Harar A E. Harar, Hirna, Gemechisa, Debesso, Messela, Gewgew and Dire Dawa Zuria18
Harar B W. Harar, except Hirna, Gemechisa, Debesso, Messela and Gewgew18
Harar C Bale (Berbere and Dolomena)18
Harar D E. Arssi Golgolcha18
Lekempti East and West Welega and Kelem18
Forest Sheka, Bench Maji, Mezenger and Kaffa zones, S. Omo and Gamo Gofa18

The contract consulted carries no date, and the washed coffee contracts could not be accessed.18 Names change between contracts and markets. A 2021 study notes that higher-quality coffee from Illubabor was sold as generic Limu commodity coffee.24

Wild coffee forests#

Three UNESCO biosphere reserves protect forests with wild arabica.

  • Kafa. In the Kafa Zone; 760,144 ha, with 2010 as its year of nomination.21 UNESCO calls it the centre of origin and genetic diversity of wild C. arabica.21
  • Yayu. In the Illubabor Zone of Oromia; 167,021 ha, year of nomination 2010.22 It holds one of the last fragments of montane rainforest with wild coffee populations.22
  • Sheka. In the Sheka Zone; 238,750 ha, year of nomination 2012. Native coffee is typical of the forest understorey.23

The 2017 climate study names Kaffa and Yayu as protected areas for coffee. It adds that Yayu has limited long-term potential unless higher land is included in its core area.9 In Yayu, five forest-coffee cooperatives averaged 200 kg of green coffee per hectare in 2017/18 (see Coffee yields).24 The genetic value of these forests is covered in Ethiopian landraces.

Research stations#

The Jimma Agricultural Research Center (JARC) keeps a coffee field genebank. As reported in 2008, it held 4,780 accessions at 10 research stations in the main production areas.10 The main genebank of the Institute of Biodiversity Conservation, at Choche (Limu), held 5,196.10 Their history is covered in Ethiopian landraces.

A 2025 study of lowland coffee used four field sites in the south-west.27

Site Location Altitude (m) Annual rainfall (mm)
Agaro Agricultural Research Subcenter Gomma district, Jimma Zone, Oromia 1,63027 1,61627
Bebeka Debub Bench district, Bench Sheko Zone 1,36827 1,74227
Teppi Agricultural Research Center Yeki district, Sheka Zone 1,20027 1,55927
Gelesha Godere district, Majang Zone, Gambella 1,00027 2,10027

The study gives no coordinates for the sites, and no altitude for JARC itself.27

Climate risk#

A 2017 modelling study projects that 39–59% of the current growing area could become unsuitable for coffee this century without major interventions.9 Moving coffee to new areas, together with forest conservation or re-establishment, could increase the suitable area at least fourfold.9 Most of the gain lies at higher altitudes in the South West Zone.9

The risk differs by place. The study projects an early loss, in 2010–2039, of almost the whole Bale coffee area and the eastern part of Sidamo.9 It expects Harar coffee production to keep declining unless considerable interventions are made.9 These are model projections, not forecasts by Coffearium. The same study is summarised in Coffea arabica and Ethiopian landraces.

Diseases#

Three fungal diseases are reviewed for Ethiopia’s coffee forests: coffee leaf rust, coffee berry disease and coffee wilt disease.25 In surveys of four montane rainforests, coffee berry disease was found most often in Bonga (40.0%) and Yayu (26.3%).25 The arabica form of coffee wilt disease occurs only in Ethiopia, where it was first seen in 1957.26 Details are in Coffee berry disease and Coffee wilt disease.

Reference values#

Parameter Value Source
Production, USDA 8.15 (2021/22), 11.46 (2024/25), 11.56 (2025/26), 12.1 forecast (2026/27) million 60-kg bags USDA1
Production, FAO 575,696 t (2024, imputed; ≈9.6 million bags, our calculation) FAO3
Share of world output 6.5% (2025/26, USDA); 5.2% (2024, FAO); our calculation USDA1, FAO3
Species Arabica only USDA1
Exports 6.97 million bags (2025/26); 7.13 million forecast (2026/27) USDA1
Domestic consumption 3.36 (2021/22), 4.5 (2025/26), 5.0 forecast (2026/27) million bags USDA1
Domestic share ≈35% (1999); 50–55% (2021 report); nearly half (2025 report); 41.3% (2021/22), 38.9% (2025/26) and 41.3% (2026/27 forecast) from USDA bag counts, our calculation FAO19, USDA6,5,1
Area 800,000 ha planted, 790,000 ha harvested (2025/26) USDA4
Farmers ≈5.9 million (ECTA, reported 2026); ≈4 million smallholder farms (2017) USDA4, Moat et al.9
Smallholder share 90% of production; plots under 0.5 ha on average USDA4, ECTA8
Production systems Garden 50%, semi-forest 35%, forest 10%, plantation 5% (ECTA guide, May 2026; data year not stated) ECTA8
Shaded production At least 80% from forests, forest-like habitats or shaded farms Moat et al.9
Altitude Mostly 1,200–2,200 m (2017); 1,500 to over 2,200 m (USDA, 2025) Moat et al.9, USDA5
Rainfall Bimodal east of the Rift, unimodal west; 1,320–1,690 mm (Rift, South West), <1,300 mm (Harar, parts of South East) Moat et al.9
Harvest Main harvest October–December; season August–January (2000 profile) USDA4, FAO19
Processing 70–80% unwashed, 20–30% washed (2021 report) USDA6
ICO group Brazilian Naturals FAO/ICO20
Largest region Oromia, 59.5% (2023/24–2025/26 average) ECTA via USDA4
Commercial farms ≈143,000 ha USDA4
Area replanted More than 450,000 ha (ECTA, reported 2025) USDA5
Climate risk 39–59% of growing area at risk; suitable area could grow at least fourfold with relocation Moat et al.9
Biosphere reserves with wild coffee Kafa (2010), Yayu (2010), Sheka (2012) UNESCO21,22,23
Export earnings Around a quarter of the total (2017 study) Moat et al.9
ECX coffee trading From December 2008; direct export widened July 2017 Mbakop et al.16, USDA7

Open questions#

  • Regional and zonal statistics. The regional shares consulted come from ECTA as published by USDA, without area, tonnage or producer numbers.4 No official agricultural sample survey table by zone was consulted for this entry.
  • Basis of the system shares. ECTA gives shares for forest, semi-forest, garden and plantation coffee without a year or survey.8
  • Crop size. USDA and FAO differ by more than 100,000 t, and FAO’s 2024 value is imputed.1,3 No source consulted reconciles them.
  • Current processing shares. The most recent washed and unwashed shares consulted are from a 2021 report.6 No source consulted gives the number of washing stations.
  • The route to Mocha. No source consulted documents how and when Ethiopian coffee reached the Yemeni ports.13
  • Origin names. The ECX unwashed contract consulted is undated, and the washed contracts were not consulted.18

Key studies#

Moat et al., 2017 – Ethiopian coffee under climate change. Mapped where coffee can grow in Ethiopia, in five coffee zones on both sides of the Rift Valley, and projected suitability to 2099. Up to 59% of the growing area could become unsuitable, while relocation and forest conservation could expand suitable land at least fourfold.

Nature Plants 3, 17081 · doi:10.1038/nplants.2017.81

Labouisse et al., 2008 – Ethiopia’s coffee genetic resources. Describes the four growing systems and where genetic diversity is highest. Counts the accessions in Ethiopia’s two main genebanks and reviews the loss of diversity in the field.

Genetic Resources and Crop Evolution 55(7), 1079–1093 · doi:10.1007/s10722-008-9361-7

Mbakop et al., 2023 – Traceability in Ethiopia. Uses the ECX mandate of 2008 and the reform of 2017 as a natural experiment. After trading through the exchange became mandatory, traceable coffee gained in export price compared with untraceable coffee.

Agriculture 13(2), 368 · doi:10.3390/agriculture13020368

Schuit et al., 2021 – Specialty coffee and income in Yayu. Followed five forest-coffee cooperatives in the Yayu biosphere reserve. Yields were about 200 kg of green coffee per hectare in an off-year, and selling into the specialty market could raise household income.

PeerJ 9, e10621 · doi:10.7717/peerj.10621

Contested
  • When trading coffee through the ECX became mandatory: a 2021 policy report dates the proclamation to August 200828; a 2023 study has coffee on the exchange from December 2008, with the law on mandatory trading passed a few months after the exchange opened.16
  • Share of the crop drunk at home: a 2000 FAO profile puts local consumption at about 35% (1999 data)19; a 2021 USDA country report gives 50–55%6 and a 2025 report “nearly half”5; the July 2026 USDA circular gives 4.5 million bags drunk of 11.56 million produced in 2025/26, which is 38.9% (our calculation).1 Coffee production by country lists the same disagreement.
  • Size of the crop: USDA gives 11.56 million bags (about 694,000 t, our calculation) for marketing year 2025/261; FAO gives 575,696 t (about 9.6 million bags, our calculation) for calendar year 2024, a value FAO imputed rather than received from an official source.3 The datasets use different years and methods.
  • Altitude of the coffee area: a 2017 study states that coffee is mostly confined to 1,200–2,200 m9; a 2025 USDA report gives elevations between 1,500 and over 2,200 m for the main growing areas.5 The wild range of the species is given differently again (see Coffea arabica).
  • Number of producers: a 2017 study counts about four million smallholder farms9, and a 2018 USDA report over four million smallholder farmers7; a 2026 USDA report cites ECTA for 5.9 million farmers.4 The figures come from different years and count farms or farmers.
  • Harvest months: a 2000 FAO profile gives August to January as the harvest19; a 2026 USDA report names October to December as the main harvest period.4 The first describes the whole season, the second the main period.
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Sources

  1. AUSDA Foreign Agricultural Service (2026). Coffee: World Markets and Trade (July 2026). United States Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service.
  2. AFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); processed by Our World in Data (2026). Coffee bean production (FAOSTAT, Crops and livestock products, item Coffee, green). FAO via Our World in Data.
  3. AFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (2026). FAOSTAT: Crops and livestock products (item “Coffee, green”, element “Production”, 2024). FAO, licence CC BY 4.0.
  4. AUSDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Global Agricultural Information Network (2026). Ethiopia: Coffee Annual (ET2026-0005). United States Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service (Addis Ababa).
  5. AUSDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Global Agricultural Information Network (2025). Ethiopia: Coffee Annual (ET2025-0014). United States Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service (Addis Ababa).
  6. AUSDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Global Agricultural Information Network (2021). Ethiopia: Coffee Annual (ET2021-0013). United States Department of Agriculture, Foreign Agricultural Service.
  7. A(2018). Ethiopia: Coffee Annual (2018), GAIN report ET1820. USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, GAIN report.
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  9. AMoat, J.; Williams, J.; Baena, S.; Wilkinson, T.; Gole, T. W.; Challa, Z. K.; Demissew, S.; Davis, A. P. (2017). Resilience potential of the Ethiopian coffee sector under climate change. Nature Plants 3, 17081. doi:10.1038/nplants.2017.81 · other copies
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The literature for this entry was last searched on 2 Nov 2026. A statement that no source consulted for this entry shows something refers to the sources above; newer or missing work may exist.

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