Italy’s Ambassador to Ethiopia, Sem Fabrizi, said that coffee is far more than a commodity for both Ethiopia and Italy, describing it as an integral part of daily life and social traditions.

He highlighted the deep cultural and economic ties between Italy and Ethiopia through coffee, emphasizing its role in shaping social rituals, heritage, and long-standing partnerships in the sector.

He emphasized that coffee is also a major global industry, with nearly three billion cups consumed every day, making it one of the world’s most important beverage sectors.

Against this backdrop, Ethiopia and Italy have been working to enhance the sector for decades through development cooperation, technical assistance, research collaboration and private-sector engagement.

Fabrizi said Italy has worked closely with Ethiopian institutions to improve agricultural practices, productivity, post-harvest processing and quality, while strengthening institutional capacity along the entire coffee value chain, including forest coffee systems.

In recent years, Italy has adopted a comprehensive value-chain approach, supporting initiatives such as the establishment of the first comprehensive Coffee Training Center in Addis Ababa in collaboration with the Ethiopian Coffee and Tea Authority, UNIDO and private partners.

Access to finance remains a central pillar of Italy’s engagement, he said, noting that concessional loans have helped expand financial services for farmers, cooperatives, processors and exporters, enabling investment, modernization and quality-oriented production.

Looking ahead, the ambassador said Italy is preparing a multi-million-euro program under the Matei Plan through the Italian Climate Fund to scale up support for Ethiopia’s coffee sector.

He reaffirmed Italy’s strong commitment to Ethiopia and Africa, stressing that the partnership is based on mutual respect, shared values and a common vision for a competitive, inclusive and climate-resilient coffee sector that benefits producers while delivering excellence to consumers.

“We look forward to continuing this journey together—from the Ethiopian and African highlands to European and global cups in the morning and throughout the day—ensuring that coffee remains a powerful driver of sustainable development for generations to come,” he said.