Barista Cho Soo-Kyung, is the second-generation owner of Ethiopia Bet (Ethiopia House) coffeehouse in the Gangwon provincial city of Chuncheon in Korea and she learned about coffee from her mother who opened Korea’s first roastery cafe in 1968 to serve high-quality Ethiopian coffee to visitors. The coffeehouse specializes in Ethiopian coffee, from the Harar, Yirgacheffe and Sidamo regions, which are all roasted daily in small batches. Her family’s close tie to Ethiopia dates back to 1968 when her uncle sponsored the Monument for the Participation of Ethiopia in the Korean War. Ethiopia was the only African nation to send ground troops to help South Korea during the 1950-53 Korean War. A total of 6,037 Ethiopian soldiers fought on the side of the United Nations Allied Forces. After the war, Ethiopia helped establish a welfare center that took care of war orphans. When the Emperor visited Korea in May 1968, he mentioned it would be nice if there was a cultural center. “A few months later, my mother, (who was a teacher back then), opened Ethiopia House. It offered visitors a place to relax, talk and come together,” Cho said. Ethiopia House evolved into the role of a cultural center and decorated with Ethiopian handcrafted artwork. Cho’s parents started serving Ethiopian coffee roasted fresh on-site. Emperor Haile Selassie later named the place the “Ethiopia Bet” and gave her the right to use the emblem of the Ethiopian Empire. “My mother made a promise with the emperor that ‘for the next 100 years, I won’t leave a day without the smell of hot ground coffee.’ Until now, the coffeehouse has never been closed … not even when my father died or when the building was flooded,” she said. The family-owned establishment celebrates its 55th anniversary this year. Like her parents, circumstance led Cho, 62, to become the current owner and operator of the family business. Her parents wanted her to take over the business which she now runs with her husband, son, daughter and son-in-law to continue promoting Ethiopian coffee. As coffee drinkers in Korea become increasingly choosy and health-conscious, Cho takes great pride in delivering the best coffee. “Quality-wise, we always keep our standards to the highest level possible and maintain them. When you drink good coffee, your skin glows,” she said. Cho, who is the honorary ambassador for Ethiopia, expressed her wish to build a statue of Emperor Selassie near Ethiopian Bet. This year marks the 60th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Korea and Ethiopia and the local government has renamed the road near Ethiopia Bet as “Ethiopia Road.”
Source: The Korea Times
