Coffee, Real Coffee in Ethiopia: And New Life For Women.

Memories of Coffee in Ethiopia.

The smell of fresh coffee wafts into my nostrils: they flare sympathetically in response, drawing deeply on that comforting aroma, reviving Ethiopia memories with each intake. As we cut through the shopping mall car park, Davies' Coffee trailer has a quartet of waiting customers this early morning. I won't succumb to the temptation, as there will be more of that delicious aroma percolating through the pedestrian railway underpass, from the coffee hole-in-the-wall on the Paraparaumu railway platform. Waiting commuters clutch their discardable cups, fortifying themselves for the hour long trip to their cubicles- if there isn't another delay or breakdown on the lines. On those mornings, I just manage to avoid sarcastic grins at the hundreds of frustrated commuters as we wander past them on our 20 minute walk to my workshop. Thank goodness I don't have to join the throng of commuters. Dragging my dog Lilly's nose out of the bush where she's been exploring doggie smells, we head on over to my workshop where I can make my own special percolator brew. Almost looks as good as Davie's. But better, much better as it's made from coffee we brought home from Ethiopia.

Coffee beans on tree at Lake Tana, Ethiopia.

Machiato- Ethiopia Coffee
Coffee these days, brings back memories of our time in  Ethiopia, the primary home of the coffee plant, , Coffee Arabica , from where it spread to Yemen then throughout cultures around the world. Little wonder the Italians had to invade Ethiopia- some people would die for a great coffee! After they got kicked out, their parting legacy was found in an aromatic concoction called Machiato- fresh roasted, ground and brewed in front of you, served in a small glass or cup with hot milk floated on top. Fantastic. But order a double shot - one small glass is just not enough. You can afford it- a serving may cost you 40cents US.

Walk into most restaurants in Ethiopia and near the entrance will be a woman tending to a brazier, roasting and brewing to each patron's order. She stokes the fire with charcoal, gently coaxing a not too fierce glow rather than flames, the beans resting in a pan so she can shake them constantly, ensuring the beans on the hot plate are gently roasted and not burned. Here is the secret to serving coffee that has a depth of rich, almost chocolaty taste, an aromatic nose, a sense of freshness, and retaining just enough sweetness to need no added sugar. Meals are all the more pleasurable, as she may walk around the restaurant with the roasted beans, so the smell fills the restaurant, titillating your sensory membranes with its promise of gratification to come. Being prepared to your order, no additives, beans picked, dried then roasted and served within days, lends added enjoyment from its freshness, you may never find back home.


Ploughshare Women's Skill Centre.
We had breakfasted early, and were on the road by 8am heading towards Gondar, ancient capital, and home of romantic castles and palaces. But first a stop at the Women's Ploughshare Trust project. This is a live-in training organisation funded by Government, and donations, to train women in skills they can use to earn a living in their villages.

About 65 women, mostly solo mums, who may have lost their husbands through AIDS, live there and are being trained in basic crafts such as pottery, weaving, sewing and animal husbandry. Apart from basic home making experience, women generally do not have the skills to be able to earn an income. In many countries, women who lose a husband are marginalised, even ostracised, because along with the death of their husband goes their means of living. Often prevented from gainful employ, by tradition, cultural mores or merely lacking in skills, widows may be reduced to a life of begging, or prostitution. At Ploughshare, as they become proficient in new skills, they will return to their village and in turn train others, thereby sowing the seeds of micro-business for others in their communities.

I thought it a very effective way of making a difference at the grassroots level where assistance is most needed.

Here we were to be able to observe a very targeted way of contributing to getting people out of the poverty trap, by training them in crafts necessary at local village level. And by creating a network of small training groups throughout the country, as another mother takes her newly acquired skills back to her village, and forms a group to train others.
After being shown the various sewing, weaving and pottery studios, we were treated to a full coffee ceremony in the meeting building. Traditionally, coffee or bunna (boo-na) service is a ceremony as much to honour you as a guest, as it is to serve it at its best to bring out the maximum aroma and flavour. The meeting room was thatched roof, with sticks herringbone patterned around the sides, but very airy and cool. Once again the coffee beans were roasted carefully, and ground in a wooden mortar ( mukecha)  using a heavy metal pestle, then steeped in a pottery coffee jug called a jebena. We were served in small china cups.

It was while waiting for coffee to be served, I was able to watch the birth of a calf, by the lone cow Ploughshare had separated from the herd. It struck me as symbolic of what Ploughshare stood for- new life for these women.



No, that calf has not broken out of a large egg- it's some sort of broken ornamentation now used as a water trough.



Ploughshare, and the birth of the calf, spring to mind vividly these days with each cup of coffee as the aroma takes me back to Ethiopia. My last bag will run out this week and it will be back to a quick fix with my 'nuke' brew- 50/50 milk and water, microwaved until near exploding, then granulated instant spooned on top, resulting in a thick marbled foam top.
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We spent 1 week in Addis Ababa, before joining Gap Adventures Ethiopia Explorer DEN tour.
It is wonderful to know the work Ploughshare are doing amongst Ethiopia's women is supported by Gap Adventures  by incorporating this as part of their itinerary. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit and bought good quality handwoven scarves as gifts for family back home.

Video here-
Ploughshare Women's Crafts Training Center

All photos by Jim McIntosh

Coffee, Real Coffee in Ethiopia: And New Life For Women.

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