I moved from Ethiopia to Shetland - and I've brought the coffee with me

I moved from Ethiopia to Shetland - and I've brought the coffee with me6 days agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleIona NicolBBC Scotland NewsBBCCoffee has been an important part of Netsanet Sori's life since childhoodShetland has plenty of honesty boxes - filled with fresh eggs, home baking and even pies.However, the 1,000 or so residents on the island of Whalsay have recently got one offering something a little more unusual - hand-roasted Ethiopian coffee.It has been provided by Netsanet Sori, also known as Netsi, who moved to the island in October 2025 after spending nine years in Orkney.Raised on the family coffee farm in rural Ethiopia, she has brought a flavour of her native culture to her new home about 4,000 miles (6,400km) away.Netsanet SoriHand-roasted Ethiopian coffee beans have found a home on a small Scottish islandNetsi's mother died when she was young, and she was raised by her grandmother and great-grandmother on the farm where she had to "grow up fast"."How I was raised there, compared to here, it's completely different," she said.Since moving to Scotland, she has used coffee to stay connected to home, importing beans from the farm where she grew up."It's very important to me and I will teach my children about it as well," she added.More stories from North East Scotland, Orkney and ShetlandListen to news from North East Scotland on BBC SoundsPreparing and drinking coffee is an important daily ritual in Ethiopia with members of the community, mainly women, coming together to take part in a traditional ceremony."Neighbours and villagers gather once or twice in a day to share information, good news or bad news, and love," Netsi said."It's also about community belonging. If you make a coffee, you can't drink it alone."You have to share what you have and help others."Coffee ceremonies take place in Ethiopia every dayHand roasting coffee beans is a slow, careful pro...