Ethiopia coffee trademark working
A project designed to register the names of coffee-growing areas of Ethiopia as trademarks in 30 countries around the world was proving to be successful.
Getachew Mengistie, director-general of the Ethiopian Intellectual Property Office, said that the project particularly focused on coffee produces of Kaffa, Harar, Yirgachefe and Sidama.
Getachew said the flavour and aroma of coffee produces of the above-mentioned coffee-growing areas have been identified and branded in some of the countries that import and consume the produces.
Certificates have already been obtained from those countries that have registered the coffee produces from these regions, he said.
Efforts to secure similar certificates from the remaining countries were being finalised, said Getachew.
He added that 25 of the 30 countries, in which efforts were underway to register the trade marks, were found in Europe.
He said the remaining countries include the United States, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Japan and Australia.
Registering the coffee produces has a paramount importance to protect the intellectual property values of coffee-growing farmers, suppliers and the country, said the Ethiopian official.
In particular, the trademark registration would enable the country to increase its foreign currency earnings, he said.
Coffee has a long and revered history in Ethiopia and was an important component of Ethiopian culture and society. The name coffee was even derived from the "Kaffa" after the discovery of coffee in this region and later became known to the world.
The Kaffa region, which lies about 300km southwest of the capital Addis Ababa, was Ethiopia's largest producer of coffee, the most important cash crop for Ethiopia, accounts for more than 60 percent of Ethiopia's export earnings and provides the primary source of income for many thousands of small farmers. www.businessinafrica.net
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