ORIGINS
Coffee beans are not really beans at all. What we
have come to know as coffee beans are actually the
dried pits of a cherry-like fruit from the coffee
plant. The trees that produce these fruits grow in
the tropical regions of the world. Brazil holds the
top spot for coffee production but the world's supply
is supplemented by Vietnam, Indonesia, Kenya, Columbia
and other countries.
Coffee was first discovered in Ethiopia. Legend holds
that Kaldi, a goat herder, noticed how energized his
goats had become after eating the berries of the coffee
tree. After trying it himself, Kaldi sold it to local
monks who used the berry to stay alert during long prayer
sessions.
It wasn't long before coffee became a trade commodity
and found its way to Europe and then to the explorers
who brought it to the New World.
