Coffea arabica - There are several species of plants producing beans used for brewing coffee. The species Coffea arabica, native to Ethiopia, was the first to be cultivated by humans. The wild form of the plant is now rare in Ethiopia. A Coffea arabica shrub takes an average of three years to reach maturity and to begin producing fruit. Depending on each individual shrub, a coffee plant can produce .5 to 5 kilograms of beans; these beans are the seeds of the plant’s fruit.
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The modern state of Ethiopia emerged with the ascent of Menelik II, emperor of Ethiopia from 1889 to 1913. He ceded control of Eritrea to Italy through the Treaty of Wuchale in 1889, but when Italy began violating the treaty, Menelik II repudiated the agreement and Italy declared war against Ethiopia. In a series of battles, Amba Alagi and Mekele, Ethiopia defeated Italy and a new peace was negotiated recognizing Italian claim to Eritrea and Ethiopia’s sovereignty against further Italian demands.
