Coffee: a matter of business
Ethiopia and Eritrea are traditionally considered the homeland of
coffee. It then became known to western world thanks to traders and
travellers who at their very first encounter with coffee were amazed by
the extraordinary appearance of the evergreen coffee plant and by the
locals’ habit of sipping a boiled, dark, peculiar tasting beverage,
even on a very hot day.
Up until the end of the XVII century, trade in coffee remained very much
in the hands of Arab traders who would load it on the back of their
camels and travel from the mountains of Yemen to sea ports. From here,
coffee would reach all the main cities of the Ottoman Empire and Europe.
The Dutch were the first to grow coffee in the isle of Java and became
the main suppliers of coffee to Europe. Coffee appeal grew gradually,
but steadily, and spread to other Asian colonies; whereas in Europe,
every attempt to cultivate coffee failed miserably. However, despite the
Arabs’ disappointment, coffee trading became very significant to
European economies.
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