The office told ENA on Monday that the agreement was signed at the 20th Annual Conference of Specialty Coffee Association of America held in Minneapolis.

Including the new ones the number of companies that have signed similar agreement with Ethiopia so far has reached 80.

According to the agreement, the companies are obliged to feature the new brand on their processed Ethiopian coffee products.

The new brand identity comprises a central logo for Ethiopian Fine Coffee, which takes place its inspiration from the coffee bean itself, together with individual designs for each of the coffee designations, the office said.

The launching of the new brand is a tribute to the coffee industry and pioneer licensees that they agree with Ethiopia and are prepared to cooperate with the nation on its mission to capture a greater share of the retail price for Ethiopian coffee farmers and coffee workers, it added.

Ethiopia is the birthplace of coffee and exports more than 177,000 tones of coffee a year, representing about 15 percent of the world's total coffee production, it said.

However, until now, the international promotion of these famous fine coffee products has not been proactively managed by Ethiopia.

While coffee professionals are very conscious of Ethiopia’s distinctiveness, there is a significant opportunity to broaden consumer awareness and appreciation of coffee brands such as Yirgacehfe, Sidamo and Harar.

R2:10-3:00 pm

E:3:26pm

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