Ethiopia’s Response
To change this, the Ethiopian fine coffee sector – growers, small traders, exporters, cooperatives and local development bodies – have come together as the Ethiopian Fine Coffee Stakeholder Committee to commence a new era in the long and rich history of the Ethiopian fine coffee trade and to direct the Trademarking and Licensing Initiative.
The Ethiopian Fine Coffee Stakeholder Committee
| Organisation | Members |
|---|---|
| Ethiopian Coffee Exporters Association Board | Abdulrazak Sheriff (President) Solomon Belete (Vice President) Mustefa Awol Aynalem Humna Tesfaye T/Haimanot Sufian Mehadi Solomon Worku |
| Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office | Getachew Mengistie Eftihia Mario Getnet Hunegnaw |
| Federal Cooperative Agency | Abreham Ejeta |
| Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Areas Development | Desse Nure |
| Ministry of Foreign Affairs | Isayas Gota Getachew Mulualem |
| Ministry of Trade and Industry | Brikti Kebede |
| Sidamo Coffee Farmers Cooperative Union | Tsegaye Anebo Tesfaye Ensela Frew Alemu |
| Oromia Union | Tadesse Meskele |
| Yirgacheffe Cooperative Union | Mengestu Elema |
With the support of its international partners and the first representatives of the specialty coffee industry, Ethiopia is building a network of licensed distributors, that is, coffee importers, roasters and retailers, who want to collaborate with Ethiopian stakeholders on developing strategic brand management, and promotional plans to protect and enhance the overall retail value of the brands.
Working together, the Ethiopian Fine Coffee Stakeholder Committee and the network of licensed distributors will develop and implement a long-term programme to realise the full potential of Ethiopian fine coffees in the global specialty coffee marketplace and return more income to the farmers.
The launch of The Ethiopian Coffee Trademarking and Licensing Initiative is offering an innovative and concrete way to explore how to overcome the traditional, and deep, disconnect between what coffee farmers receive for a bag of coffee beans and what retailers are then able to charge for that excellent coffee when they offer it to the final consumer.
Spearheaded by the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office, the initiative is creating a new platform for the parties at different ends of the marketing chain to come together, to discuss what, including pricing, is in their mutual best interest and to think ahead for the long-term. The goal is to increase the prosperity and commercial success of all who are involved in producing and promoting these coffee brands, and most especially the small scale coffee farmers in Ethiopia.