The coffee cherry plant originates and flourishes in the highlands of Ethiopia. The quality of the coffee, which grows there, is of high grade due to the altitude of the coffee farms, some being above 6000 feet.  Premium grade coffee is known to grow in the higher elevations of 3000 to 6000 feet above sea level. Although there are thousands of different types of coffee species that grow naturally in Ethiopia, there are only 2 types of coffee that are recreationally consumed around the world.  The Arabica type and its many varieties are known for its smoother and fruity undertones and the Robusta type, which when roasted becomes twice the size and also contains double the amount of caffeine. The Robusta varieties make a more acidic, bitter tasting cup and are what coffee companies use to make instant coffees.  The Arabica type and its many varieties are more sought after and are used for making specialty coffees. Coffee has been cultivated to grow in 70 countries but less than 10 countries supply the majority of what is consumed. The coffee cherry plant thrives in high elevation and only grows closer to the equator in a region called "The Coffee Belt".

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Legend has it that in the 800's a young goat herder named Kaldi, played his flute to call his goats home before nightfall. But they didn't come.  He looked around and finally found them playing joyfully while eating fruit that had fallen from this tree. This happened for a few more nights, where the goat would be awake and fully energized when it was time to go to sleep.  So Kaldi decided to try the fruit himself, what he had discovered that night would change the history of mankind. He brought the fruit back to his local Sufi monastery, they found that the berries helped them stay awake longer to pray at night. In the 15th century, it was brought to Yemen, where the coffee plant was cultivated. The Yemen traders brought the coffee on the trade routes during the 16th century and the Ottoman empire borrowed the custom of drinking the beverage in their coffee houses. Then coffee spread to Europe, the political powers of Holland cultivated the coffee plants in Indonesia, while the Portuguese started growing their coffee in Brazil, spreading from Ethiopia to the rest of the world.