OUR STORY
Coffee growing is a trade that has been woven into my DNA. I come from a long line of coffee farmers and roasters. As a child, my father would recount stories from his childhood in Ethiopia with infectious enthusiasm. Growing up in Canada, I developed a fascination with coffee and knew that it was a tradition that I wanted to continue.
To learn more about my heritage and my late grandfather, a proud coffee farmer, one of my first visits was to our family coffee farm in East Hararghe, Ethiopia, home to the region the coffee industry classifies as (Harar Coffee). This visit brought life and colour to the stories that my father had passed on to me.
While in Ethiopia, I also travelled to the city of Jimma, in the Northern Oromia Region, formerly known as the capital of the Kaffa province, ( Where Coffee was first discovered) to explore the hand-picked cherry to cup experience. Having the privilege of speaking with the farmers in their mother tongue, Afaan Oromo, helped me to understand the complexities of their work and the impact the coffee supply chain has had on their livelihoods. This was one of the most unique, humbling, and unforgettable experiences I've ever had, and one that I will cherish forever.
Muna M/ Founder
PURPOSE
Having your own take on what makes coffee just right for you, is what coffee exploration and drinking is all about. I discovered my own passion for coffee different from my grandfather, but just right for me. In 2020, I brought together my love of coffee, community, entrepreneurial experience, and my career in marketing, to build a responsibly sourced coffee brand.
What's up With Your Name?
I'm so glad you asked! Did you know that coffee was first discovered over 1200 years ago? Legend has it, a young goat herder from Ethiopia, named Kaldi, discovered the first coffee beans around 850 AD. Having listened to many versions of this tale, and a few others from my own family, my curiosity was piqued. I wanted to further explore the rich coffee history of my ancestors. The story of Kaldi is a great one, but we also know that the Oromo people of Ethiopia were already chewing the coffee berries well before the tale may suggest, and so, as an ode to the first people to have used coffee ever , this legend and the birthplace of coffee, our company Eight50 Coffee was born.
Oral history and legends are past down from one generation to the next and as a company we felt that reclaiming dates given to our coffee heritage was an important part of how we wanted our company to be positioned. The date 850AD signifies not only the origins of coffee but to us its history, heritage and a date stamped in literature, as the beginning ,and it was only fitting we named our company Eight50 Coffee. We hope you enjoy this journey with us from beginning to end!
