In Kaffa, Ethiopia, a goat shepherd named Kaldi accidentally discovered the energising effect a specific plant had on his goats – the coffee plant. He tried the caffeinated berries himself and shared his excitement with local monks. It was not long before they used these red berries to stay awake during night time prayers…

Across from Ethiopia, in the Red Sea, lies Yemen. Coffee plants were brought to The Sufi Monks who used the leaves as an energy booster. Roasting and grinding of the beans began, followed by the very first coffee plantation.

When the Ottoman empire conquered the Arabian Peninsula (including Yemen), coffees were distributed to places such as Cairo, Damascus, Mecca and Medina. It is believed that the first coffee shops were opened in Constantinople at this time.

Coffee was imported to Venice, Italy around 1570 as a commodity only the wealthy could afford. Many people used it for medicinal purposes. Mocha Java was born when the Dutch finally got coffee by trading it with merchants in the Yemenite Port of Mocha.

Three centuries later, Captain John Smith, a British world adventurer, who co-founded the first English settlement colony in Jamestown, Virginia, brought awareness of coffee to the newly discovered Americas. The coffee trend emerged and it became the drink of choice.

Because traders and travellers from across the world distributed coffee beans to their homelands, coffee plants were popping up almost everywhere! It became apparent that certain regions’ climate and soil grew better beans, which led to the establishment of The Coffee Belt.