History of Coffee

There are different stories that relate to  how the coffee tree was discovered; one is that it originates from Ethiopia, formerly known as Kaffa, but many moons ago when it was discovered, coffee was not drank as a beverage but the beans and cherries were actually chewed  by the tribespeople.

Others believe that coffee became evident when it was cultivated in monastery gardens over 1000 years ago. It is believed that a goat herder noticed how his oldest goats behaved like young kids when they ate certain wild berries, this encouraged the Abbot of the local monastery to brew these cherries and give them to his brother monks to keep them awake during long hours of prayer.

Thought out the sixteenth century coffee was grown throughout Persia, Egypt, Syria and Turkey. 

The first coffee houses were opened in Mecca. Theses houses were luxurious venues which hosted live music, dancing and chess. A lot of business was conducted in these houses as thousands of visitors visited Mecca each year from all over the world.

The Arabs were very proud of the coffee commodity and the plantations were out of bounds to westerners but eventually seed beans and cuttings were taken out and cultivated in Dutch colonies in India and Java. The Dutch colonies became the main coffee supplier to Europe trading from Amsterdam beginning in 1615.

The first coffee house ‘Café’ in Europe was opened in Venice in 1645, and by the mid 17th century the ‘Café’ also became popular in other European countries.

Britain opened it doors to the first ‘Café’ a little earlier than other European countries in 1651 in Oxford, and by 1700 there was over 3000 coffee houses and these were very popular with the upper middle classes.

Over the last 300 years coffee cultivation has become popular all over the world and is one of the most valuable primary products in the world, second to oil. Millions of people earn their wages from the coffee industry.

Coffee Shops have become so popular in today’s society; you are sure to find one on nearly every high street.  They are very common venues for business associates, friends, colleagues etc to meet up and spend a bit of time, or a place to visit on your own to unwind and watch the world go by whilst sipping a cappuccino.  

Kenco Coffee is one of the most popular coffees in the world today, and can be found in every major supermarket and many coffee shops.