Ethiopia is the
oldest coffee exporter in the world. Coffee was here a commodity earlier than 1500. Nevertheless, frequent external invasions and internal conflicts had negative impacts on the country's coffee export history.
Coffee export in Harar and Gerri goes back earlier than 1810. In 1838, RUPELL recorded an export of 100 quintals of Enarea-coffee (now Limu-Seka, Jimma) via Massawa. In the 19th
century two coffee types "specialty coffees" were exported as first and second grade of Harari (i.e. coffee produced in Harar) and Abyssina
(i.e. wild or produce of other areas) coffee to London, Marseilles, New York and Trieste.
Ethiopian Muslim merchants were involved in transporting coffee and other goods in caravans of mules, camels and donkeys.
Export was dominated and facilitated by over 140 foreigners including Greeks, Armenians, Germans, Belgians, Indians, Lebanese, Turks and Yemenites.
Coffee classification and grading systems in Ethiopia were developed
and licensed for the first time in 1952 and modified in 1955. Ethiopian coffee certification started after the establishment of the National Coffee Board of Ethiopia (NCBE) in 1957. NCBE's aims were to control and
co-ordinate producers', traders' and exporters' interest and to improve the quality of Ethiopian coffee.
In 1960, Ethiopia became a member of the Inter African Coffee Organization. In the same year, it
became a member of the International Coffee Organization with a share of 2.5% of the global market.
