Recently I came across an article that explained the history of coffee and how it was discovered. Legend has it that the first coffee berries were discovered by an Ethiopian goat herd around 800 A.D. The shepherd began noticing that his generally relaxed herd started to jump happily every time they chewed on certain cherry-red berries. With curiosity, he decided to try them himself and to his surprise, he felt almost immediately energized. Thus the coffee bean began its journey!
The actual name coffee derives from the word qahwah which is the Yemeni term for wine. Coffee started gaining popularity in the Arabian Peninsula and the Ottoman Empire, first as an energy rich snack and later as wine.
The pits of these cherry like berries found their place in European society in 1615, when Venetian merchants brought them home from Istanbul. About 30 years later, the first coffee houses were opened in Italy and spread from there to the rest of the continent!
Today, there are approximately 25 million farmers in over 50 countries that are involved in coffee processing or production.
Coffee is one of the most widely traded agricultural products on earth! Be sure to share gratitude to the goats when you sip on your delicious morning brew😁
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