The Ethiopian Commodity Exchange brings challenges for buyers

“The Ethiopian Commodities Exchange brings opportunities for farmers, and challenges for buyers.” (Photo courtesy of Joe Raedle/Getty Images via National Post)

The Grind: Ethiopian coffee finds its way


By Brad Frenette
National Post

September 23, 2010

Barrett Tyler Jones is a barista at 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters in Vancouver. The Grind is his tales from behind the bar: from rating beans to tasting trends to the skills involved in making the perfect cup.

This past June, I packed up and set off once again to the World Cup Tasting Championships, and all the associated events and competitions. This year it was held in London – and Canadians will note assured that our nation finished firmly in the middle of the pack. There will be no “own the podium” program forthcoming – in fact, there was no podium at all. I scored 5/8 again this year: less than stellar, but not bad. The event is basically a large tradeshow, with various competitions, workshops and lectures going on a various times. On the floor, I happened to run into a women who we recently purchased an Ethiopian coffee through.

A little background: The past two or so years has been tumultuous on the Ethiopian coffee landscape. At one point, all coffee brokers were ordered to liquidate their holdings or be prosecuted, and the government set up a trade system modeled after the Kenyan auction system. But it was pretty hastily done, and it’s up and running, but much like a Vancouver food truck program: there’s been problems from the get go.

All coffee in Ethiopia must now go through the Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX), she explained, with the exception of co-op grown beans. However, as a buyer at the ECX, she isn’t able to taste the coffees before the auction, so she is buying off the grade alone. Grade, I think of more as visual, but not necessarily how it tastes. So they are buying blind, sometimes blending coffees to get something appealing to their customers, but they don’t really have a way of knowing if they were successful until they send off samples, and get buy offers or feedback from roasters. It’s like being a chef and trying to create Michelin Star cuisine without being able to taste any ingredients – and sending them out to your eager diners anyway.

She sought feedback, anything that we could provide, so that they have some idea of how they’re doing. It’s a challenging system right now – but I’m hopeful that over time, the system will provide a market where every farmer can sell their product, and be paid on the basis of quality and as much as the market will bear, because Ethiopia has some absolutely amazing coffees.