The coffee war mars globalisation

Amitava Basu
The Financial Express
3/25/2007

IT is amazing the way wild berries in one corner of Africa grew to transform into a popular, international beverage. Coffee plants were first located growing wild in the highland forests of Kaffe in Ethiopia, from where it derived its name. No one knows when exactly coffee was discovered. However, there is evidence to suggest that sometime between 575 A.D. and 850 A.D., a nomadic mountain tribe called Galla used to ground coffee seeds and mix with animal fat and ate it.

From its birthplace in Ethiopia, coffee berries were transported to the Arab world. From there, coffee travelled to Turkey. It was here that coffee beans were roasted for the first time over open fires. The roasted beans were crushed and then boiled in water, creating a crude version of the beverage enjoyed today. Later, the Venetian merchants brought coffee to Europe. It was only in the 18th century that coffee found its way to the Americas, when a French infantry captain brought one small plant that he nurtured during his long journey across the Atlantic. This one plant transplanted to Martinique in the Caribbean, became the predecessor of over 19 million trees on the island within 50 years. It was from this humble beginning that coffee plant found its way to the rest of the tropical regions of South and Central America.

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