Mother Coffee: The history and heritage of Ethiopia's wild coffee forests

from Filter Stories - Coffee Documentaries · host James Harper

Most coffee is grown on vast plantations using machines, pesticides and fertilisers. But in Ethiopia, coffee grows wild in humid forests surrounded by birds. And that wild coffee matters more than most of us realise. It is the genetic ‘library’ we can turn to find new varieties to help us keep coffee thriving in the face of climate change. But the communities who live alongside them and have safeguarded this genetic treasure often don’t earn enough from coffee to make preservation the obvious economic choice. Could a great story be the answer to earn higher premiums for these communities? Could that story be that all the coffee we drink today can actually be traced back to a single “mother tree” in Ethiopia? This episode is about the history of coffee in Ethiopia, how far back the evidence goes, what counts as evidence, and what we should celebrate (and pay for) when we buy “wild” Ethiopian coffee today. Please spread the word about A History of Coffee! Follow us on Instagram - James (@filterstoriespodcast) and Jonathan (@coffeehistoryjm) - and tag us in an Instagram story. Write a review on Apple Podcasts Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify This free educational content for the coffee community was made possible by Mahlkönig, manufacturers of world-leading coffee grinders for 100 years for your home and cafe. Read Jonathan’s book, ‘Coffee: A Global History’ Support James’ work directly by buying him a coffee at Ko-fi.com/FilterStories Discover how James makes these Filter Stories episodes by subscribing to his Substack newsletter Enjoy James’ Standart article about Avicenna and the earliest (supposed) written reference to coffee Read the scientific paper pinpointing where wild coffee forests are in Ethiopia Follow Solomon Tselele's work through his Facebook page Learn more about the Ethiopian coffee ceremony on the Adventures in Coffee podcast Series 3 of A History of Coffee is a collaboration between documentary maker James Harper of the Filter Stories coffee podcast and Jonathan Morris, Professor of History and author of ‘Coffee: A Global History’. Ethiopian forest sounds curtesy of George Vlad. Hear more nature sounds here. Check out Standart, the award-winning coffee magazine. Get a free magazine and a free bag of coffee by clicking here. Use ProfilePrint to find the coffee your customers loved last year (without a week of cupping!). Use promo code "FILTER" to get 10% off your first year of a Mini Beluga subscription. Click here to discover ProfilePrint's many uses. Support hundreds of thousands of coffee farmers with Fairtrade. Discover how here. What kind of racing car does the Gaggia Classic GT home espresso machine remind you of? Use discount code FS202610 to get 10% off.

What this episode covers

Most coffee is grown on vast plantations using machines, pesticides and fertilisers. But in Ethiopia, coffee grows wild in humid forests surrounded by birds. And that wild coffee matters more than most of us realise. It is the genetic ‘library’ we can turn to find new varieties to help us keep coffee thriving in the face of climate change. But the communities who live alongside them and have safeguarded this genetic treasure often don’t earn enough from coffee to make preservation the obvious economic choice. Could a great story be the answer to earn higher premiums for these communities? Could that story be that all the coffee we drink today can actually be traced back to a single “mother tree” in Ethiopia? This episode is about the history of coffee in Ethiopia, how far back the evidence goes, what counts as evidence, and what we should celebrate (and pay for) when we buy “wild” Ethiopian coffee today. Please spread the word about A History of Coffee! Follow us on Instagram - James (@filterstoriespodcast) and Jonathan (@coffeehistoryjm) - and tag us in an Instagram story. Write a review on Apple Podcasts Leave a 5 star rating on Spotify This free educational content for the coffee community was made possible by Mahlkönig, manufacturers of world-leading coffee grinders for 100 years for your home and cafe. Read Jonathan’s book, ‘Coffee: A Global History’ Support James’ work directly by buying him a coffee at Ko-fi.com/FilterStories Discover how James makes these Filter Stories episodes by subscribing to his Substack newsletter Enjoy James’ Standart article about Avicenna and the earliest (supposed) written reference to coffee Read the scientific paper pinpointing where wild coffee forests are in Ethiopia Follow Solomon Tselele's work through his Facebook page Learn more about the Ethiopian coffee ceremony on the Adventures in Coffee podcast Series 3 of A History of Coffee is a collaboration between documentary maker James Harper of the Filter Stories coffee podcast and Jonathan Morris, Professor of History and author of ‘Coffee: A Global History’. Ethiopian forest sounds curtesy of George Vlad. Hear more nature sounds here. Check out Standart, the award-winning coffee magazine. Get a free magazine and a free bag of coffee by clicking here.Use ProfilePrint to find the coffee your customers loved last year (without a week of cupping!). Use promo code "FILTER" to get 10% off your first year of a Mini Beluga subscription. Click here to discover ProfilePrint's many uses. Support hundreds of thousands of coffee farmers with Fairtrade. Discover how here. What kind of racing car does the Gaggia Classic GT home espresso machine remind you of? Use discount code FS202610 to get 10% off.

NOW PLAYING

Mother Coffee: The history and heritage of Ethiopia's wild coffee forests

0:00 48:40

1×

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

Beating loneliness by bridging the generation gap

Apr 21, 2026 ·13m

Robotics and the Future of Aged Care

Apr 19, 2026 ·16m

The Purpose Paradox: Why Baby Boomers Delay Retirement

Apr 17, 2026 ·13m

A Growing Movement Aims to Prepare All Physicians to Care for Older Adults

Apr 15, 2026 ·12m

Defeating Recurring Charges on Cancelled Credit Cards

Apr 13, 2026 ·11m

If Your Dad Has These 11 Odd Habits, He's More Lonely Than He Admits

Apr 11, 2026 ·16m

Similar Podcasts

Solving for Change MOBIA Technology Innovations Solving for Change welcomes business and technology leaders to share stories of bold business transformation within complex organizations. In an era when technology and markets are changing around businesses, the key to staying competitive is to evolve in response to those changes. MOBIA’s Mike Reeves and Marc LeBlanc investigate business transformation, deconstructing the challenges, ambitions, and market disruptions that drive companies to embark on transformation journeys, and exploring their unique approaches to achieving meaningful outcomes. What sparks leaders to pursue business transformation? How do they overcome the challenges along the way? What are the keys to creating enduring change? Through in-depth conversations with business and technology leaders, Mike and Marc answer these questions and explore how businesses evolve by pulling four key transformation levers: people, process, technology, and culture. Darknet Discussions Darknet Discussions Welcome to "Darknet Discussions," the podcast that gets into the shadows of the internet to bring you the most intriguing, enlightening, and sometimes unsettling stories from the dark web. Hosted by seasoned darknet aficionados, each episode of "Darknet Discussions" explores the intricate dynamics of darknet markets, cybersecurity threats, and the digital underworld. Join us as we interview experts, discuss the latest trends in cybercrime, and shed light on the technologies that operate beneath the surface of everyday internet use. Also, we occasionally go off on a tangent about something completely unrelated. She’s a Hazard to Herself She’s a Hazard Hi there, I’m Mallory, and I’d like to invite you into our world with “She’s a Hazard to Herself!” Join us as we navigate life with Multiple Sclerosis from the seat of my power wheelchair. Discover stories of resilience, family, and the community we’ve built around chronic illness. Whether you’re impacted by MS or want to learn from our journey, there’s something here for you. So why wait? Subscribe to “She’s a Hazard to Herself” on your favorite podcast app and be part of our journey today. Let’s lift each other up, one episode at a time! The Course Mentors Podcast The Course Mentors Hey there, future course creator!Ever feel like turning your know-how into an online course is like trying to solve a Rubik's cube blindfolded? Well, grab your headphones because "The Course Mentors Podcast" is here to be your secret weapon!Meet Aimee and Odette (that's us!), your new best friends in the course creation world. We've been in the trenches for over a decade, and for the last five years, we've been rocking the online course space. Now we're here to spill all our secrets in bite-sized, 15-20 minute episodes that'll fit perfectly in your coffee breaks.No fluff, no filler - just real, actionable advice that'll take you from "um, what's a landing page?" to "holy moly, I just hit six figures!". We're talking everything from crafting your course to marketing it like a pro and building a business that'll have you pinching yourself.Whether you're dreaming of ditching the 9-to-5 grind, adding a sweet extra income str

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Filter Stories - Coffee Documentaries?

This episode is 48 minutes long.

When was this Filter Stories - Coffee Documentaries episode published?

This episode was published on February 9, 2026.

What is this episode about?

Can I download this Filter Stories - Coffee Documentaries episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.

URL copied to clipboard!