A nameless herd of goats spent their days touring pastures to consume food the land provided,
mostly leaves and some grass. Days were long, beginning at dusk, ending at dawn. Sleep often
came easy after touring the plateaus in the Kaffa region of Ethiopia. After the herd was down
for the night, Kaldi, the goat herder, would leave to attend evening prayers at the local
monastery.
One day Kaldi, decided to change up the routine and explore different pastures along the
plateau. While the goats were browsing, he noticed a group gathered by trees he had not
recognized. These trees were full of cherry-like fruit clusters that his group of goats seemed to
enjoy. From that moment on, Kaldi noticed a change in behavior with the herd. They appeared
to be more alert and energetic, looking as though they were hopping, dancing for the
remainder of the journey.
Kaldi, a dedicated religious man, and a responsible herder found himself in a conundrum, a real
head-scratcher. It appeared that without the berries, his goats returned home exhausted,
anxious for sleep. With the berries, his goats returned home energized, not ready for sleep
until well into the evening. The issue was the longer it took Kaldi to complete his chores, the
more likely he would miss the evening service. Would he neglect the safety of his goats to
attend the evening service or ensure the safety of his goats and miss the evening service?
Meanwhile in the monastery, a monk’s day was just as long. From start to finish, their daily
routine was greater than sixteen hours per day with only a small window of rest after lunch.
Rising before the sun, by the time breakfast was served, a monk had already spent four hours in
perpetual prayer with the reading of psalms and hymns. Supper wouldn’t be served until after
the evening service that typically was held from 6:30pm to 8:00pm.
Kaldi remembered the monk’s struggle to stay awake during the prayers and meditation during
the evening service. He pieced together his observations with how the mystery berries affected
his goats and wondered if these same berries could help the monks stay awake during the
evening services. Kaldi presented these berries to the monks and guess what? The berries had
the same effect on the monks as they did the goats. Although the monks are not recorded to
be hopping and dancing energetically, one may have heard them say,
“In the beginning coffee!”
