The Story of A Cup of Coffee

The native origin of the coffee bean is thought to have been in Ethiopia about 1000AD. Legend states a goat herder discovered the potential of coffee beans by noticing the energy his goats displayed after eating the berries. He reported his finding to the Abbot at the local monastery who made a drink with the berries and realized he could stay awake during evening prayer. (How many of us have used coffee to keep us awake or to help us greet the morning??!!). From this simple beginning, legend says coffee spread to the Arabian Peninsula. Then, to Persia, Egypt, Syria and Turkey. By the 17th Century, coffee had made its way to Europe.

It takes 3-5 years for a tree to bear fruit. Each healthy tree produces approximately 2,000 coffee cherries a year, or about 4,000 coffee beans (a coffee cherry typically contains two coffee beans), which translates to roughly one pound of roasted coffee per healthy tree. Think about this! How many pounds of coffee do you consume a year? Most cherries are still picked by hand. It is a long process from growth to consumption. You can find out about the drying and roasting processes, and the culture of the farms by checking the websites below.

After reading the story of the coffee bean, it seemed appropriate that this drawing took a long time to complete and there is a whole new appreciation in my heart for this humble coffee bean!