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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 me 6 days ago Share Save Add as preferred on Google Iona Nicol BBC Scotland News BBC Coffee has been an important part of Netsanet Sori's life since childhood Shetland 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 Sori Hand-roasted Ethiopian coffee beans have found a home on a small Scottish island Netsi'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 Shetland Listen to news from North East Scotland on BBC Sounds Preparing 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 day Hand roasting coffee beans is a slow, careful process. When the beans arrive in Whalsay, they are a light green colour with a subtle, earthy aroma. They are then cleaned and roasted in the same pot and to ensure the roast is as even as possible, the beans must be constantly shaken as they heat. As they cook, the beans darken to a rich brown and begin to release an oil, something Netsi says is a sign of good quality coffee. Traditionally, the beans are ground with a tool resembling a mortar and pestle but, for the sake of speed, Netsi now uses a small electric grinder. Coffee beans are a pale green colour before they are roasted While living and working in Orkney, Netsi said she roasted coffee only for herself, as well as for friends and charity events. But after moving to Whalsay, she decided to turn her passion into a business. "After a little research, I realised that nobody else is roasting coffee like this in Shetland," she said. "So, I thought I can do it, and it's worked brilliantly. People seem to really like it." Ingrid Sutherland Ingrid Sutherland said it was great to have an honesty box

Danielle18

Coffee beans may be small, but the impact they have on culture and community is huge. Its inspiring to see someone like Netsanet Sori bringing a piece of her home to a new place, connecting people over a shared love of coffee. #CoffeeLoversUnite #CulturalExchange

Jun 6, 2026 7:00 am