Torrefazione Moderna Café… Sounds exotic, doesn’t it? This is an Italian phrase meaning modern coffee roasting, where the acronym To.Mo.Ca is derived. Tomoca is an Ethiopian coffee roasting company that provides roasted and ground coffee to local and international markets. The renowned coffee brand recently opened its first coffee shop and we had the privilege to attend this prestigious inauguration at Two Rivers Mall.
What do you know about Ethiopian coffee? The backstory is quite intriguing, straight off the pages of historical mythologies. Going back to the 9th century, the hero of this tale is a local herdsman by the name Kaidi. Kaidi was busy grazing his goats when he realized one of them acting differently after eating a berry from a peculiar shrub. Curious, he too decided to taste the berry himself and attest to the origin of the goat’s exhilaration. He had made a discovery! He therefore brought the berry home to share the discovery with his community. It was experimented upon for the years, creating a long lasting coffee tradition in the Ethiopian Highlands.
Centuries later, things took a grand turn as the first coffee roasting company in Ethiopia – Tomoca, was established in 1953. The coffee company has established a gold standard of Ethiopian coffee and won numerous awards over the years. In 2020, the company now takes on a new venture – to open a coffee shop brand.
“YOU’RE INVITED! It is with great pleasure that we invite you to join us for the Tomoca Coffee Africa launch at the Two Rivers Mall on Friday 25 September. We look forward to your company,” read the invitation card. This came along with a care package that included two Tomoca branded wristbands (with the Kenyan and Ethiopian flags), two personally customized coffee cups, a scarf, and of course a bag of Tomoca coffee beans.
With COVID-19 restrictions easing up, we were thrilled to attend the event and mingle with other guests (still ofcourse with social distancing and mask precautions in place). Arriving at Two Rivers Mall a little past 4:00 pm, it was a hub of festivities all around. There were African dancers to welcome us, making it an African inspired event. After settling in, we had a few bitings that included sausages, meatballs, bhajias and chicken. As if to prove the delectable taste of Ethiopian coffee, we had to taste a freshly brewed sample from a lovely lady clad in Ethiopian-style attire. The mood was the epitome of African celebration, courtesy of more dancers and a performing jazz band.
It is said that humanity runs on coffee and this being the case, Kenyans are lucky to be the first ever country to have a taste of specially brewed Tomoca coffee. “This is the first venture for Tomoca within Africa. We chose Kenya as our first gateway for Africa-based expansion due to many benefits Kenya provides to the private sector in terms of investment incentive and other critical aspects that are needed for startup businesses to flourish.” This was the statement made by Tomoca’s Chief Global Operations Officer, Wondwossen Meshasha on why Kenya was the ultimate location for their first café.
The pleasant Amina Abdi was the host of the event while the guest of honors were Ethiopian High Commissioner Meles Alem and Industrialist Chris Kirubi. Other personalities in attendance for the café opening included Betty Kyalo, Tracy Wanjiru and Anita Nderu who was immaculately dressed for the occasion.
The Tomoca café officially opened at 6:00 pm with confetti raining down amid cheers and merry applause. The essence of Ethiopian coffee, you can now get a stimulating cup of Tomoca coffee at the Two Rivers Mall.
-Written By Mary Njehia
Pictures courtesy of Capital Lifestyle:
Tomoca Coffee Opens First International Store at Two Rivers Mall
