· Coffee is the most renowned drink of the world, and amongst the most consumed ones. Since its importation in Europe, during the 16 th century (after a centuries-old journey, from its native Ethiopia through North Africa, Middle East and Turkey), it has become part of the gastronomic culture of many areas, gradually spreading its reputation all over the world.
· A profile: Angolan coffee today. Angola primarily grows robusta coffee, with some arabica farms that have recently been established at higher altitudes along the country’s Central Plateau.. JC Mainga is a Director at the Angola National Institute of Coffee (INCA). This organisation oversees coffee research and the distribution of seedlings. He says: “In Angola, …
· Since then, there has been a slow but steady decline. The most recent statistics from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation show that Mozambique produced just 827 tonnes of coffee in 2019. This can, in some instances, be attributed to the difficulties the country’s agriculture sector faces. Conflict in the northern parts of the country …
· A history of coffee production in Zambia. Before the introduction of coffee to Northern Rhodesia (as Zambia was known until 1964), most of the country’s exports were from its rich copper deposits. In 2020, copper still accounted for 73% of all Zambian exports, showing that it remains a huge part of the country’s economy.
· Coffee is grown in 18 of the country’s 22 provinces by over 450,000 households (3.3 million people), producing some 752,000 bags in 2019. The country ranks 17th in global coffee production, contributing around 0.45% of all coffee in the world. Arabica is the predominant species here, grown between 700 and 2,050 m.a.s.l. across the country …
· Coffee from the country is often described as sweet, delicate, and floral, with notes of liquorice and spice. Until the 2000s, Caturra was the most popular variety in the country. However, between 1999 and 2007, most Caturra plants were replaced with Catimor, a Caturra-Timor hybrid that is resistant to coffee leaf rust.
· João says: “The world produces about 170 million bags [of coffee per year]. This production takes place on about 10.5 million hectares, according to the latest surveys by the FAO. [On average], we are looking at a global average of 16 bags per hectare (bags/ha).”. However, according to him, this is an issue.
· Coffee is one of the most consumed beverages globally. In countries like the United States, companies such as Starbucks have made billions of dollars from the $102 billion-dollar market. In Africa, countries like Ethiopia and Uganda dominate the market with a combined production of 62%.
· In the structure of the country’s agriculture based economy, there is no crop better than coffee for generating cash for its growers. Potential investors in the Amhara Region should be encouraged to establish coffee plantations to produce coffee to meet at least the regional demand for the crop.
· While koji starter is quite expensive (I just paid $250 to ship 350g of spores from Japan to Colombia, which would be enough to process 70kg of finished coffee), using rice and the methods found in Jeremy’s book, Koji Alchemy, a coffee producer could theoretically produce an infinite amount of koji for their needs—so while any process using …