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The Berry that changed the
world…
 Where
did coffee come from and who were the first people to discover it?
There are various myths, but one story dating back to the 10th
century is widely accepted as the truth. It tells of a young goat
herder named Kaldi. Kaldi lived in Yemen and like most other boys in
the region he spent most of his teenage years looking after his
family’s goats.
One day he was amazed to find his goats dancing about in a state of
great excitement. Remembering that they had been grazing on some red
berries growing nearby, he ate some himself and immediately felt
energetic.
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He
rushed off to the leaders in the community to tell them
about his discovery. They gathered the berries, made them
into an infusion with animal fat and ate it. To their great
delight it kept them wide awake during their nightly
prayers. The stimulating effect of the caffeine contained in
the berry was, up until then, unknown to them.
Now, more than a thousand years later, these red berries are
still enjoyed, but in a different way. The ripe berries are
picked from the coffee plant and the beans inside are dried,
roasted and ground. |
Then, with water, a beverage
called “coffee” is prepared. These days, more than 1.4 billion cups
of coffee are consumed around the world every day. After petroleum,
coffee is the most traded commodity on earth.
So, every time you enjoy a fine cup of coffee, think of Kaldi, his
goats, and the berry that changed the world…
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