The History of Coffee

The Legend of Kaldi the Goatherd

Kaldi the goatherd was from the Ethiopian highlands, where coffee trees have grown for centuries. He is said to have discovered coffee from observing the unusual behaviour of his goats whenever they ate berries from a certain tree. They became exceedingly spirited and refused to sleep at night.

Kaldi dutifully reported his findings to the abbot of the local monastery, who decided to make a drink from the berries. When he discovered that it allowed him to remain alert for the long hours of evening prayer, he shared his discovery with his fellow monks.

Arabian Coffee

Slowly knowledge of the energizing effects of these berries spread east to the Arabian peninsula. From there, coffee journeyed around the world and became one of the most popular beverages in history.

The Arabs were the first to cultivate the coffee plant and develop a booming industry. By the fifteenth century, coffee had taken root in the Yemeni district of Arabia and by the sixteenth century, it was traded throughout Egypt, Persia, Syria and Turkey.