Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (APA) – The Ethiopia Commodity Exchange (ECX) announced this week that it is launching specialty coffee trading in the country.

The ECX specialty trading system relies on "Q"grading, an internationally recognized specialty classification developed by the Specialty Coffee Association of America (SCAA).

Accordingly, ECX becomes the only commodity exchange in the world to trade specialty grade coffees, also making Ethiopia the first coffee producing country to create a system to grade arrival (or domestic) coffees using the Q system, and doing so in regions of origin.

"Today a large number of excited buyers and suppliers were present to witness the historic occasion, as 16,200kgs of Arrival Q1 and Q2 grade coffees from Sidama region, graded and stored in the ECX Hawassa regional centre, were sold on the first day," said ECX.

Coffee is Ethiopia's main foreign earning, generating over US$ 500 million annually since the past few years.

"Today, we have put Ethiopia on the map as having one of the most refined domestic specialty coffee classification and discovery systems in the world," Dr. Eleni Gabre-Madhin, Chief Executive Officer of ECX.

The ECX specialty handling is designed to benefit the millions of small-scale producers who have little knowledge of the value of the premium beans.

Ethiopia, known as the birth place of coffee, is Africa's top exporter of coffee to the international market.

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