Ethiopia's Coffee Export to Chinese Market Increasing: Ambassador Teshome

Addis Ababa September 6/2022/ENA/ Ethiopian Coffee Cupping and Promotion Event held in Ethiopian Embassy in Beijing with the theme of "Taste from the Origin" in the presence of Ambassadors from various African countries and Chinese business communities.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the event, Ambassador Teshome Toga noted that “Ethiopia Coffee Cupping and Promotion Event” intended to create a better awareness of coffee beans for its unique quality and taste.

He added that Ethiopian Coffee is an agricultural item which has been dependable source of foreign currency earnings and revenues for millions of Ethiopian families for many years.

Noting that even though the trade balance is in favour of China, Ambassador Teshome said, the bilateral trade volume has reached 2.19 billion USD, of which Ethiopia’s export grew at eight percent for two consecutive years.

According to the Ambassador, recent data shows that China imported about 12,380 tons of coffee from Ethiopia in 2021, compared to 4,178.9 tons in 2020, which has grown by 196 percent. This stunning increase implies the huge potential market in China, he said.

The Director of Ethiopian Coffee Culture Center, Yuan Wei on his part said that the popularization of coffee culture, the growth of the number of coffee shops, the acceleration of urbanization and the increase of per capita disposable income would be the driving factors for the rapid increase of coffee consumption.

Stating that Beijing is not only the capital of China, but also the political and cultural center, Yuan said the Ethiopian Coffee Culture Center plays a great role in promoting Ethiopian culture and trade.

The ever increasing Ethiopian coffee consumers have been realizing that Ethiopian coffee is not only the origin of coffee in the world, but also the best coffee in the world, Yuan added.

Noting that the organization will strive to develop the cultural and trade exchange between China and Ethiopia under the Belt and Road Initiative, the director promised, to exert effort to bring Ethiopian coffee into the high-end market of China.