The Tale of Coffee, Teff and Enset, and the Curious Parallel with Labor Migration

Ethiopia, a land of ancient wonders and cultural heritages, has gifted the world three of its most remarkable commodities: coffee, Teff, and Enset. Yet, their journey to global recognition and immense value seems to mirror a deeply ingrained Ethiopian narrative – that of its own people, notably the youth, who often find their fortunes and perspectives transformed after venturing far from home. It is a sentiment perfectly encapsulated by the age-old Amharic dictum: “እልፍ ሲሉ እልፍ ይገኛል” (Elf Silu Elf Yigegnal) – “One has to travel to find fortunes.”

Coffee: The early and renowned migrant

Coffee, the aromatic drink that fuels billions worldwide, inspires a daily ritual from bustling city cafés to quiet morning kitchens. Its origins are rooted in the highlands of Ethiopia, where legend tells of goats and their curious herder, Kaldi who incidentally discovered the change in behavior of his goats after grazing on the coffee berries. Until then, coffee, in its raw, unrefined state, must have been merely a cherry on a tree. Kaldi’s observation and discovery were nothing short of brilliant, but coffee’s true destiny, it seems, lay beyond its birthplace, in faraway lands, confirming the dictum.

Early on, coffee, like Ethiopians who take perilous journeys abroad today, embarked on its grand emigration across the Red Sea to South Arabia, then traversed continents, planting seeds of enterprise and delight from Europe to far east to the Americas. Today, the sheer scale of this stimulant is staggering: the human race reportedly gulps well over 2 billion cups a day. But this was not just about consumption; it in a way sparked a revolution in processing and technology. Visionary minds and skilled hands, particularly Italian ones, transformed this humble Ethiopian bean, adding layers of value along with a sophisticated lexicon of names – from macchiato and cappuccino to caffe latte and espresso, or from caffè lungo to even caffè Americano, and on and on and on. Coffee did not just travel; it evolved, becoming a sophisticated ‘global citizen’, constantly reinventing itself and generating unfathomable wealth thousands of miles from its origin. Indeed, its allure transcended the palate, inspiring artists and literary giants to create their works. As the famed French novelist Honoré de Balzac reportedly said, “When you drink coffee, ideas march in like an army,” a saying tellingly displayed on the wall of Addis Ababa’s own legendary Tomoca Coffee’s earliest shop on Churchill Avenue.

Teff: The late and reluctant migrant?

Then there is Teff, the ancient super tiny grain, a gluten-free dietary cornerstone for Ethiopians for millennia. For a long time, Teff remained Ethiopian, its immense nutritional and culinary potential largely contained within the country’s borders. The Ethiopian genius, apparently through centuries of culinary innovation, perfected its transformation into Injera – that unique, spongy, flatbread with its signature ‘thousand eyes’, perfectly designed to soak up delicious stews. It is a complex, time-honored process of fermentation, a result of deep traditional knowledge. It took a literary genius in the Ethiopian novelist Adam Reta to finally create a mesmerizing narrative and literary philosophy out of Injera and its ‘eyes’ as he does in his seminal novel ግራጫ ቃጭሎች (‘Grey Bells’).

Well, Teff’s fortunes appeared to have finally changed, perhaps belatedly embracing its own “እልፍ ሲሉ እልፍ ይገኛል” moment. In recent years, this resilient grain has begun to cross boundaries with increasing momentum, reaching the Global North and beyond. It is now no longer confined to the traditional Injera; it is being embraced for its impressive nutritional profile and is now appearing in a myriad of forms – from gluten-free flours used in baking to even ‘Teff juice’, cereals, and other innovative health food products. Like coffee before it, Teff is now undergoing its own global metamorphosis, adding value in unexpected ways and inspiring new culinary and health-food applications. But it should be annoying for Ethiopians since Teff, like Coffee, had to pack its bags and left home to enjoy such innovations.

Enset: The aspirant migrant?

If we Ethiopians are puzzled by the success of Bunna (coffee) and Teff following their journeys abroad, then it may not be late to do something about and with Enset. Often called the ‘false banana’ or recently acclaimed as a ‘tree against hunger’, this remarkable plant has been a vital staple food for millions in Southern Ethiopia for centuries, a silent force of sustenance and a symbol of resilience. Unlike coffee and Teff, Enset has largely remained a domestic hero to date, its incredible potential for food security and perhaps even industrial uses largely unexplored on the global stage. Even kocho is still processed with a very rudimentary manual labor often of women who toil in scrapping to harvest the Enset stem pulp much needed to make kocho. Will Enset too need to embark on its own journey, waiting for its global debut to unlock its full potential and inspire new innovations in sustainable food systems, perhaps even becoming the next superfood sensation that captures international attention and investment? Should we leave it as an aspirant migrant plant, looking wistfully beyond Ethiopia’s borders for its chance to truly shine, or will we Ethiopians defy the dictum for this plant to remain and excel on its native soil?

The labor migration parallel: A puzzling prosperity abroad

The tales of these three commodities – coffee’s early journey, Teff’s late and reluctant but rewarding migration, and Enset’s potential, and perhaps unfulfilled path uncannily echo the experiences of countless (young) Ethiopians. It is a recurring, often perplexing, narrative: the same individuals who might bridle at the thought of low-skilled, laborious, or blue-collar jobs in Ethiopia frequently embrace (although many excel in high-skilled jobs), these very roles once they migrate abroad. They often find economic success, send remittances home, and build lives that seem unattainable within their native country. Their fortunes, too, seem to blossom far from familiar soil.

This striking parallel begs a rather pointed, though sarcastic, question that echoes the very dictum: Does every Ethiopian truly need to embark on an international journey to transform their mindset and their fortunes, much like coffee, Teff, and perhaps soon Enset? Is there truly a secret formula for success and drive that exists only outside our borders? It seems that for too many, the answer, by painful necessity, has been ‘yes’. Today, as the Ethiopian novelist and essayist Tewodros Tefera remarks in one of his essays, there is an ironic burden on those who stay in Ethiopia: they must justify their decision to remain, while those who leave face no such scrutiny.

Beyond “እልፍ ሲሉ እልፍ ይገኛል” (Elf Silu Elf Yigegnal)

Perhaps, for Enset and for the vast number of young Ethiopians, a new era must dawn. An era where they find alternative avenues for adding value and securing fulfilling jobs within their own native lands. For this to happen, a fundamental and urgent shift is required in citizens’ mindsets, and, more crucially, in societal work ethic and culture of work to transform the entire job creation ecosystem. Ethiopia needs to cultivate an environment where its inherent riches, be they agricultural wonders or its vibrant youth, can thrive, innovate, and find their “fortunes” right here at home, rendering the age-old dictum a choice rather than a necessity. Only then can Ethiopia truly harvest the full potential of its own soil and its own people.

Encouragingly, there are indeed burgeoning signs of this paradigm shift. The recently ratified Ethiopia’s Startup Proclamation, for instance, is a landmark step that is hoped to create a more fertile ground for local innovation and enterprise. Driven and resilient Ethiopian entrepreneurs are already striving, particularly in the coffee sector, aiming to add significant value to the bean. From specialty roasters crafting unique blends to tech-driven platforms connecting farmers to markets, there are promising efforts that aim to capture more of coffee’s vast economic potential within Ethiopia. Such initiatives, fostering homegrown ingenuity and job creation, offer tangible hope that current and future generations, and perhaps even Enset, will soon find that immense value and opportunity to flourish right where they are, challenging the long-held notion that fortunes must always be sought far from home.

Tilahun Bejitual (PhD) is an Assistant Professor of Cultural Studies in the Institute of Ethiopian Studies at Addis Ababa University.

Contributed by Tilahun Bejitual (PhD)