ADDIS ABABA, June 8 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia, known as the origin of Arabica coffee, on Tuesday launched a state-of-the-art coffee training center to deliver modular and practice-based training that aims to enhance the sustainability and value chain of the country's coffee sector.
Located on the premises of the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority (ECTA) in Addis Ababa, capital of the East African country, the center comprises of the main coffee laboratories, including green coffee evaluation, sensorial lab, industrial processing lab and brewing lab, cafes, classrooms as well as rooms for coffee shop, conference and other services.
Under the cooperation among the ECTA, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Italian Development Cooperation Agency, and Illycaffe, the center is focused on improving the sustainability and inclusiveness of Ethiopia's coffee value chain through private and public partnerships.
The Italian Development Cooperation Agency has funded more than 1.5 million euros, while UNIDO and Illycaffe provided technical support to the establishment of the Center.
The center provides training programs on the fundamentals of coffee; processing, drying and storage; trade and maintenance of equipment.
Coffee in Ethiopia is grown by more than four million smallholder farmers and makes up five percent of the country's GDP. It also employs more than 15 million people in coffee production and marketing.
"Despite the fact that Ethiopia is acclaimed for producing some of the world's most uniquely flavored coffees, the country could not enjoy the maximum possible values from coffee and much of its potential remains untapped," said Oumer Hussien, Agriculture Minister of the East African country, during the inaugural ceremony of the center.
The minister said the training center can help Ethiopia unlock its potential in the sector by addressing coffee quality challenges, thereby enabling the country to ensure its position in coffee market.
The center provides a comprehensive training program, intensive coaching and tailor-made technical support to cuppers, baristas, cafe entrepreneurs, exporters, researchers, and commercial farmers to improve processing and business management practices that meet international standards.
"The center will also add significant new elements to the expansion of entrepreneurs and strengthen the capacity of key market systems in the coffee sector," said the minister. Enditem
