Arabica coffee, or jasminum arabicum laurifolia, has always grown wild in the forests of the south-western highlands of the Kaffa and Buno districts. The total area covered by Arabica and other types of coffee is about 400,000 hectares. Total coffee production is about 200,000 tonnes of clean coffee per year. This directly or indirectly affects the livelihoods for over 15 million people in this county.

Ethiopia is known for its longstanding tradition of coffee production. In Ethiopia coffee is an important part of the culture, and a respected daily event is the Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony. Coffee Arabica has its origin in Ethiopia. According to legends, coffee was found by a goat herder called ‘Kaldi' after observing the energizing effect the plant had on his flock in southern Ethiopia, a place currently known as Kaffa. Coffee is currently planted in various parts of the world. Ethiopia is considered the first in Africa and the 5th in the world in coffee production and the 3rd largest Arabica coffee producer in the world. One of Ethiopia's major export items is Coffee. For instance, in 2015/16 the country has exported over 174,000 tons of coffee to the international market, and the nation has obtained more than 620 million dollars.