The origins of coffee: from Ethiopia via Yemen to Finland

Coffee has travelled a long way, from the mountain forests of Ethiopia to the Finnish coffee cup. Here is what we know about the origins of coffee, and what is legend.

The plant comes from Ethiopia

Arabica coffee (Coffea arabica) comes from the mountain forests of south-western Ethiopia, where wild coffee shrubs still grow. There are, however, few written sources about the early use of coffee in Ethiopia.

The legend of Kaldi the goatherd

The best-known story about the discovery of coffee is about Kaldi the goatherd. According to the legend, Kaldi noticed that his goats were unusually lively and leapt about in the evening after eating red berries from a certain shrub. Kaldi tried the berries himself and felt awake. In different versions, a drink is eventually brewed from the berries to help people stay awake.

The story is a legend, not history. The oldest known written version dates from 1671, when Antoine Faustus Naironi wrote a Latin treatise on coffee. In it the herder is not called Kaldi, the animals are camels or goats, and the setting is Yemen. The name Kaldi and Ethiopia were added later, and the version we know today became common in the 20th century.

The first coffee drinkers in Yemen

The earliest reliable evidence of coffee drinking comes from Yemen in the first half of the 15th century. Sufi mystics drank coffee to stay awake during night-time devotions. From Yemen the custom spread to Mecca in the late 15th century and on across the Middle East. In the 16th century, coffee houses became common in the cities of the Ottoman Empire.

To Europe and Finland

Coffee reached Europe in the 17th century along trade routes. The first cargo of coffee probably arrived in Sweden-Finland in 1685, and coffee began reaching Finland from the 1720s on ships owned by Turku merchants. At first it was a luxury for the gentry. Finland's first café opened in Turku in 1773. Sweden-Finland tried to ban coffee several times between 1756 and 1792, but the bans were ignored. By the late 19th century, coffee was drunk everywhere in Finland.

Our coffee

The beans in our Nordic Roast come from Kayon Mountain Farm in Shakiso, Ethiopia, the same region where the story of coffee began. We roast our coffee carefully in small batches at Strömfors Ironworks in Ruotsinpyhtää. Come and taste it at our café Fri 12–16, Sat 11–16 or Sun 11–15, or order coffee online.