Every year on October 1, there is an event called International Coffee Day. Coffee beans have travelled daily from tropical Africa to the breakfast mugs of homes all over the world for more than 600 years, and their preparation for consumption is a fantastic illustration of metamorphosis. Coffee has been prepared by humanity for a variety of uses, including drinks, candies, medicines, and even money in certain early cultures. Whatever form it takes, coffee can give you energy, warmth, refreshment, keep you awake, and even let you catch up with loved ones.

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And as much as we rely on the beverage every day right after we wake up, we do not really know much about the people who bring the coffee to your home cabinet or the people who invented the caffeinated mug of deliciousness. Ethiopia prides itself as the birthplace of coffee, one of the most popular beverages in the world, which was discovered in the Kaffa region over a thousand years ago, and the story is interesting enough to know about. 

According to tradition, a goat herder by the name of Kaldi decided to try some red berries after observing his goats looking extremely happy after eating them. Kaldi shared his finding with some nearby monks after being pleasantly pleased by the powers of the beans. These monks are reported to have initially thrown the beans into the fire out of concern that they were the product of the devil. The monks swiftly pulled the beans from the fire, crushed and brewed them, and drank them all night while the aroma of roasting beans filled the monastery.

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So the history of coffee in Ethiopia began. Ethiopia is currently one of the world's leading producers and exporters of Arabica coffee, more than 1,000 years after Kaldi's discovery. Recently, a team of experts from Colombia, Burundi, and Rwanda travelled to the region of origin of coffee with funding assistance from TerrAfrica and the South-South Knowledge Exchange. Their goal was to learn from Ethiopia's unique and extensive experience in growing this commodity.

Although we appreciate coffee every day, September 29 is National Coffee Day. Today is a perfect day to take advantage of freebies and deals on your preferred beverage at eateries across the nation.

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The International Coffee Organization introduced the first International Coffee Day on October 1, 2015. Finding ways to support coffee growers worldwide and making sure they can be paid a living wage for their work is a key part of the inspiration behind the inception of the event.

One of the most consumed beverages in the world is coffee. Every day, countless people all around the world enjoy the beverage in all of its varieties. Coffee has a long and colourful history that dates at least to the 15th century. The first formal National Coffee Day event that is known about took place in 1983 in Japan. Many other nations quickly embraced it as a practice.