Ethiopian Coffee Arrives in Shetland via Honesty Box

The BBC published this story about a woman who moved from Ethiopia to Shetland and brought her coffee culture with her. Shetland is known for its honesty boxes.

These boxes usually contain fresh eggs, home baked goods, or pies.

However, the island of Whalsay recently received something different. A new honesty box now offers hand roasted Ethiopian coffee beans.

The coffee comes from Netsanet Sori, also known as Netsi. She moved to Whalsay in October 2025. Before that, she lived in Orkney for nine years. Netsi was raised on a family coffee farm in rural Ethiopia. Her mother died when she was young.

Therefore, her grandmother and great grandmother raised her on the farm. She says she had to grow up fast.

Staying Connected Through Coffee

Since moving to Scotland, Netsi has used coffee to stay connected to her home country. She imports coffee beans from the farm where she grew up. The BBC reported that she considers this tradition very important. She also plans to teach her children about it.

In Ethiopia, preparing and drinking coffee is a daily ritual. Community members, mainly women, gather for a traditional ceremony. Netsi told the BBC that neighbours and villagers meet once or twice a day.

They share information, good news, bad news, and love. She added that coffee is also about community belonging. “If you make a coffee, you can’t drink it alone,” she said. “You have to share what you have and help others.”

From Farm to Honesty Box

Hand roasting coffee beans is a slow and careful process. When the beans arrive in Whalsay, they are light green and have a subtle, earthy aroma. Netsi cleans them and roasts them in a pot. She constantly shakes the beans to ensure even roasting. As they cook, the beans darken to a rich brown. They also begin to release oil. Netsi says this is a sign of good quality coffee.

Traditionally, Ethiopians grind the beans with a tool that resembles a mortar and pestle. However, Netsi now uses a small electric grinder for speed.

While living in Orkney, she roasted coffee only for herself, friends, and charity events. After moving to Whalsay, she decided to turn her passion into a business. She told the BBC that after some research, she realized nobody else was roasting coffee like this in Shetland. She thought she could do it, and it has worked brilliantly. People seem to really like it.

Local Appreciation for Real Coffee

Ingrid Sutherland lives on Whalsay and has been buying the coffee. She first discovered it at a Christmas fair. She told the BBC that she is a coffee drinker who loves a good cup in the morning. She prefers real coffee, not instant. She was blown away by how cool it is. She added that the coffee is local, so she can just go along the road and get a bag instead of leaving the island. Shetland already has plenty of egg boxes and cake fridges, she said, but did not have a coffee box. She thinks it is fantastic to have one now.