ADDIS ABABA– Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority (ECTA) announced that it has launched a new national coffee brand in a view to enabling the country obtain recognition from the global coffee market in its ownership, control and use of trademarks in specialty coffees.
Opening one-day stakeholder meeting here yesterday, ECTA Director General Dr. Adugna Debela said that the new brand represents Ethiopia as the birth place of coffee with numerous varieties and it would build the reputation and acceptability of its organic coffees.
The director general noted that branding Ethiopian coffee would have a pivotal importance in ensuring the identification and development of products in market places and enabling a large and growing number of consumers aware its characteristics.
The branding also retains more value and increases producers’ share of the retail value of their products whilst it guarantees global consumers a consistent supply of high quality and distinctive product from Ethiopia.
According to him, the move is pivotal for Ethiopia to remain in the global coffee market that is characterized as competitive, highly advanced in the production and branding process and developed to suit various segments and teste profiles.
“Buyers want to know exactly what they are consuming and where it comes from and prices are set on based on profiles which are established by characteristic of the beans and where exactly they come from.”
Dr. Adugna stated that the authority has been vigorously working to the enhancement of production and development of high quality Ethiopian coffees in a view to enabling the products draw premium price from international markets.
Tadesse Worku of Ethiopia’s Intellectual Property Office said on his part that Ethiopia had not an umbrella coffee brand though three types of coffees namely Harar, Sidamo and Yirgacheffe have trade marks in the global market.
Noting that some global coffee companies unlawfully label their products with Ethiopian coffee brands to obtain more market shares, Tadesse indicated that the Office has been partnering with relevant institutions including Ministry of Foreign Affairs to address the challenge.
Managing Director of the brand developing firm, Simply Black, Dawit Lemma stated that the project was launched in August 2018 and scheduled to be finalized next month after evaluation by stakeholders in the coffee marketing value chain.
According to him, prime attention has been given to make the logo unassuming and memorable and the design features are composed of an icon that has been deliberate to include the story of coffee starts its journey- Khaldi and his goat increased in abstract form of the Ethiopian national boundary.
It was learnt that the new coffee brand was prepared by the collaboration of Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
The Ethiopian Herald, August 6/2019
BY BILAL DERSO
