From a young age, Zemba was known for her fiery temperament.
According to rumors, she learned to put men in their place even before she could walk. A great future awaited her, but first, she had to endure a difficult childhood and harsh youth. Her mother worked for three people, and Zemba never knew her father. So the task of raising the little girl fell to her relaxed grandmother.
Grandma had a more laid-back approach to life than most of the villagers, and she passed this attitude on to Zemba. It was she who taught the young African girl to pay less attention to conventions and the word “no.” The result was an explosive mixture: a fiery middle-aged woman with a burning heart, a tender love for her homeland, and a complete lack of brakes.
The desire to do something great and significant on a global scale coursed through Zemba every single day, making her bones ache. Yet, there wasn’t much she was allowed to do: cutting grass and farming the land. Neither task smelled of greatness, but rather of sweat and manure. The simple country folk were not permitted to know about business. And this makes Zemba’s story even more incredible.
Why did Zemba choose coffee? Perhaps it chose her. In her homeland, coffee was almost the main national beverage, holding a near-mythical, ritual significance for many. But for Zemba, coffee was something more. With her first morning sips, she not only received a boost of energy but also a surge of pride—pride for her native land that gave the world such wonderful beans.
However, coffee from her region wasn’t widely popular worldwide. Coffee trees had been introduced and learned to be grown en masse in many places, with new varieties and brewing techniques emerging here and there, continuously captivating wealthy Europe. “Is our coffee worse?” Zemba thought. “Not at all. These foreigners just don’t know how to prepare it properly.” Thus, a new coffee legend was born, and with it, Africa’s first marketing.
Zemba’s plan was simple and beautiful. She aimed to work not only with the beans because doing anything without love was worse than swamp sludge. She excelled in studying the intricacies of roasting and brewing coffee so well that anyone who tasted the drink from her hands could no longer enjoy it elsewhere. Everyone wanted coffee like Aunt Zemba’s, but no one knew where to get it except from her. Villagers lined up for the coveted coffee with a secret. Thus, the first café in Africa was born.
As you might guess, Aunt Zemba’s secret coffee soon spread beyond the village. Zemba personally stamped each coffee sack with her signature brand featuring her image and name. The rest is a simple and well-known story. As a result, dear reader, you can enjoy divine coffee from the very Aunt Zemba. The one and only, unique Aunt Zemba, who was born in the same place as coffee itself and defied the winds of fate to make her titanic contribution to the grand journey of the coffee bean—from the hands of the African shepherd Kaldi to every home and office around the globe.
As for Aunt Zemba herself, she is still alive and well, though rumors say she is over 120 years old. But the coffee energy of her life seems to conquer both age and her love for big cigars at breakfast. To be continued…