Coffee originated in Ethiopia. According to legend, Kaldi, a goat herder, discovered its stimulating effects after his goats ate the red berries and went buck wild. Kaldi tried the "magic" berries, roasted them, and shared them with his community. That’s when coffee was born.
Then, in the 17th century, Dutch spies stole it. After failing to cultivate the bean, the colonizers took it worldwide, introducing it to France and other European countries.
The tragedy of coffee is that it was stolen from Black people, and then Black people were forced to grow it on plantations in places like Haiti–once the producer of 60% of the world's coffee–and Brazil.
Today, coffee is a multi-billion dollar industry and the second-most popular beverage after water, but Black people only own about 1% of that wealth. But we have the power to brew a new reality for our people. We can support Black-owned coffee businesses like Cxffeeblack, a community-oriented company known for its all-Black coffee supply chain that stretches from Ethiopia to Memphis, Tennessee.
Blackness and coffee have always been inseparable. Many of us don’t want to imagine a world without coffee, and knowing the rich history of this staple is a sweet reminder that life would be a lot less flavorful without our genius.