The Origin Ledger.

A public record of Ethiopian coffee, entry by entry. Regions, processing, grading, price and logistics, written for the people who buy it rather than for the people who market it. Every figure here is sourced, and where the published numbers disagree we print the disagreement.

Coffee was born here

Arabica grows wild in the forests of southwestern Ethiopia, and the region of Kaffa gives the plant its most likely name. What that means for a buyer sourcing Ethiopian coffee today.

Entry N° 001 · Origin

Ethiopia's biggest coffee year ever

Ethiopia earned about $3 billion from coffee exports in 2025/26, a national record, at an average near $7,500 per ton. What is behind the number and what it means for buyers.

Entry N° 002 · The record

Washed and natural. One fruit, two philosophies

How washed and natural processing change an Ethiopian coffee, why Yirgacheffe built its name on one and Guji and Harrar on the other, and what each does to the cup.

Entry N° 003 · Processing

What specialty green actually costs

Ethiopian specialty green trades at roughly $6 to $13 per kilo FOB depending on grade, region, process and season, with the 2025/26 average near $7.50. Not the $20 to $40 that circulates online.

Entry N° 005 · The numbers

What G1 actually means

Ethiopian export grades count defects in a 300 gram sample. Washed Grade 1 allows 0 to 3 defects, Grade 2 up to 12, and naturals are allowed more. The grade describes the sorting, the cup score describes the coffee.

Entry N° 009 · Grading

The road to Djibouti

Ethiopia is landlocked, so nearly every exported bean travels about 900 km from Addis Ababa to the port of Djibouti. Two to four days by road, closer to a day and a half by rail. Why that sits inside every arrival date.

Entry N° 010 · Logistics