The history of coffee is a fascinating story.

The bean has traveled the globe for

centuries, being smuggled out of strict countries, stolen from royalty and has
changed entire nations and economies. It’s remarkable how one small bean
taken from tiny trees in Ethiopia could become the 2nd largest commodity
traded in the world today.

Ever wondered where coffee came from, were this little bean got its start? Get
ready to be taken on a journey through time and across continents.

Where Did Coffee Originate?

Where did coffee originate? Well, that’s the easy bit. At the very beginning, it
came from Ethiopia. But how the bean made it to every corner of the globe?
That’s what we are going to dig into.

After a slow discovery in Africa, coffee went west into Europe to be discovered
and coveted by the newer civilizations as well as east into Asia where it was
planted and harvested.

There’s a lot to cover, so grab a cup of coffee and read on.

How Was Coffee Discovered? – Ethiopia And The Dancing

Goats

The most popular origin story of the beloved bean starts with Kaldi and his
goats (1) in 700 AD. Kaldi, an Ethiopian (formerly Abyssinia) goat herder
stumbled on his goats acting quite strange.
They were dancing. This definitely wasn’t normal. He discovered that they
were eating red berries and concluded that this fruit was the cause of this odd
behavior.

After stumbling upon this magic fruit, he shared his findings with a monk, who
was ecstatic to find something that would help him stay awake all night as he
prayed.