5.05.2008 - 09:18am ET

(CSRwire) MINNEAPOLIS, MN - May 5, 2008 - More than 10,000 fine coffee experts and coffee lovers arriving in a rainy Minneapolis for the 20th Annual Conference stepped off the plane and landed in the warm embrace of Ethiopia, the birthplace of all coffee and the first ever African country to be featured as the event’s Portrait Country.
Guests experienced the soulful and spicy music, dance and cuisine and the unique flavors and aromas of Ethiopian coffee, served the Ethiopian way.

“Ethiopia is immensely proud to be at the forefront of this year’s SCAA Conference. Ethiopians have cultural and social traditions of coffee drinking going back many, many centuries, and, as such, we have much that is unique to share. The invitation to Ethiopia to be the first ever African portrait country featured is an honor. We take this as a symbol of both the Specialty Coffee industry’s high regard for our place in the expanding and dynamic specialty coffee market, as well as a tribute to our unique heritage and historic role in the coffee business,” said H.E. Yakob Yalla, Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development to the assembled experts and enthusiasts.

More than 15 million people in Ethiopia rely on coffee for their livelihood. Not wanting to leave this vital source of income to chance, in 2004 the Government of Ethiopia initiated the Ethiopian Fine Coffee Trade marking and Licensing initiative which seeks to gain a fairer share of the specialty coffee retail price for Ethiopian growers.

“About one in five Ethiopians relies on coffee for his livelihood. That’s fifteen million people producing some of the most magnificent coffees in the world. More than ever before coffee connoisseurs around the globe are celebrating the unrivalled attributes of Ethiopia’s fine coffees: their remarkably bright appearance and flavor, the distinct fragrance and aroma of each,” commented H. E. Dr. Samuel Assefa, Ethiopian Ambassador to the USA.

The Initiative is innovative and has created a lot of opportunities for Ethiopian Fine Coffees with more than 70 companies across four continents signed up to date including roasters, retailers and importers, some of whom, like Starbucks, are global distributors. Trademarks have been secured in 29 countries, including, notably, the contested ‘Sidamo’ trademark in the USA. To the growing number of licensees committed to work with Ethiopia on promoting its Fine Coffees, Assefa went on to comment:

“You are not doing this for charitable reasons,” Assefa added. “You are building good businesses. Yet each sip of coffee you take rewards our farmers for their efforts and helps us to build schools, improve housing, and advance social services in Ethiopia.”

In the global economy, intellectual property assets are the source of more than 75% of the income of most of the world’s leading corporations.

“Few developing countries have realised that intellectual property plays a crucial role in income generation in the modern, global economy. Ethiopia is truly proud to be among the first to see IP management as a tool for development and poverty alleviation. It is a tribute to the coffee industry and our pioneer licensees that they agree with us and are prepared to cooperate with Ethiopia on its mission to capture a greater share of the retail price for Ethiopian coffee farmers and coffee workers,” commented Getachew Mengistie, Director General of the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office.

After addressing the Conference on how Ethiopia had designed and implemented its Trademarking and Licensing Initiative, Mengistie was besieged by questions from delegates from both producing countries and specialty coffee distributors.

For more information please contact: