Ethiopia

Ethiopia is the genetic home of arabica and one of the few producers that drinks roughly half of its own crop. Most coffee comes from smallholder 'garden' plots, with forest and estate systems alongside, and since 2008 much of it has moved through the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange, which graded lots by region and quality and long obscured farm-level traceability until direct washing-station sales opened in 2017. Washed coffees from Sidama, Yirgacheffe and Guji and sun-dried coffees from Harrar and the west define the export range.

Arabica Harvesting in November

Production 2026/27: 12.1Mbags726k t · USDA PSD
Exports 2026/27: 7.13Mbags59% of the harvest
Arabica share: 100%
World rank: 4of 406.4% of origin output
Area harvested 2024: 863khaFAOSTAT
Altitude: 1,100–2,200m

Production and exports

60 kg bags · USDA PSD market years

Market years 2010/11 to 2026/27; the last year is USDA's current estimate. Domestic use is PSD's domestic consumption line.

Area harvested, hectares · FAOSTAT

FAOSTAT crops and livestock products, item green coffee (CC BY 4.0). Values flagged as estimates by FAO are included as published.

Where the coffee goes

Supply and use

USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Production, Supply and Distribution (PSD), market years. Supply on the left equals use on the right.

Market year 2026/27

Stocks carried in	175k
Production	12.1M
Imports	0
Exports	7.13M
Domestic use	5.00M
Stocks carried out	145k
Share of the harvest exported	59%
Rank among producing origins by exports	5 of 37

Where the exports go is not published here. Shipments by destination, including US imports from Ethiopia, come from USITC DataWeb and the Census trade API, which need credentials we do not hold yet.

Harvest

Harvest calendar for every origin

Main cropTypical US arrival

Whole country · main cropOct–Jan · US Apr–Jun

Both sources give October-January. Cafe Imports expects North American arrivals April-June; Mercanta gives peak availability March-June.

Growing regions

9 regions

Bench Maji
Guji
Harrar
Jimma
Kaffa
Limu1,100–1,900 m
Sidama1,500–2,200 m
Wollega (Lekempti and Gimbi)
Yirgacheffe1,800–2,200 m

Varieties, processing and grading

Main varieties

Ethiopian landraces ('heirloom')74110 74158 Gesha

Common processing

Washed (wet, fully washed)Natural (dry process)

Export grading

Ethiopian grades 1-9 (ECX / Coffee Liquoring Unit)

ICO certifying agent: Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development

Character and protected names

Flavour tendencies

Washed lots, especially from Yirgacheffe and Sidama, are usually light-bodied and floral with citrus and bergamot-like brightness, while sun-dried lots lean toward berry fruit, deeper chocolate and a heavier, sometimes winey body; Harrar naturals are known for a nutty, chocolate and fruit character.

General tendencies from importer origin notes, not a promise about any lot. The claims behind them are listed with their sources at the foot of the page.

Geographical indications and protected names

Name	Type	Register	Year
Yirgacheffe	Trademark	USPTO and trademark offices in the EU, Canada and Japan (EIPO programme)	not published
Sidamo	Trademark	USPTO, EU, Canada, Japan (EIPO programme)	not published
Harrar / Harar	Trademark	USPTO, EU, Canada (EIPO programme)	not published