Long regarded as Arabica coffee's birthplace, Ethiopia is trying to become a major player in the market, after decades of being largely ignored by the global coffee industry.

Ethiopia's variable agro-ecology means it is well placed to provide certified specialty blends that are increasingly sought by the world market, such as highland coffee, forest coffee, or even naturally decaffeinated coffee, according to Kassu Kebede.

Indeed, many indigenous coffee cooperatives have recently gained critical access to international coffee markets.

"The future is looking very bright for Ethiopian coffee," Mr Kebede, who worked for 27 years in the Ministry of Agriculture's coffee department, says.

In spite of this, however, many of the farmers here are still struggling to make enough money from picking the red cherry from which the coffee beans come.

"Ethiopian coffees are still too moderately priced for what they are worth," says coffee consultant Willem Boot, who has managed coffee development projects for national coffee organizations in Ethiopia, Panama and El Salvador.

"Their specialty coffees are significantly better than others and are really undersold."

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