In a move rattling the coffee industry, officials of the Ethiopian Coffee & Tea Authority have imposed a limit on outbound personal coffee carry-ons: two kilograms. This comes on the heels of requests the Authority placed four months ago, to reinforce the Ethiopian Customs Commission’s tight control around airports.

The backdrop to this decision is complicated, as is Ethiopia’s coffee itself. But the implications are vast, sending ripples through everything from the small roasters on the streets of Addis Abeba to the sprawling terminals of Bole International Airport.

Two weeks ago, Cheru Koru, deputy director of the Authority’s Market Development & Regulation Division, issued a letter announcing the restriction. A week after its enforcement, customs agents at Bole International Airport intercepted 2.3qtl of coffee.

Previous limits have been stringent but focused mainly on unroasted and ungrounded beans, as well as intra-regional movement. Restrictions from the last year resulted in coffee seizures valued at around 11.3 million Br.

However, there is a silver lining for international jet-setters and tourists who can buy from duty-free shops using foreign currency. According to Deputy Head of the Authority, Shafi Omer, this logic centres around foreign currency inflows – a vital lifeline for Ethiopia’s forex reserves.

“Passengers buying goods from terminal shops are presumably transacting in foreign currency, bolstering our national forex income,” he told Fortune. “Such travellers face no cap – they’re welcome to buy as they please.”

Passengers such as ex-pats and exporters who wish to carry over the restricted amount will need a permission letter from the Authority.

“Only licensed traders need high amounts,” he told Fortune.

A drive to protect and uplift the Ethiopian coffee brand’s global reputation underpins these changes, Shafi argued.

“Travellers have increasingly been filling their bags with inferior roasted coffee, tarnishing the reputation of our iconic product.”

Million Kibret, a consultant at the BDO Consulting’s Investment, concurred with the Authority’s concerns, referring to the sheer volume of travellers passing through Bole International Airport. The cumulative impact of smaller amounts of coffee being taken out of the country could be significant over the longer term. However, Million sees room for broader policy reforms, advocating an ease in the government’s stringent approach to foreign currency transactions.

“A recalibration of the tight constraints on forex transactions might be prudent,” he told Fortune.

But, as with any sweeping change, the immediate fallout has been noticeable. Over the past week, the 126 export standard and licensed coffee roasters in the city have been inundated with grievances. Customers are upset as they grapple with confiscations on the last leg of their visit.

Menelik Habtu, the erstwhile president of the Ethiopian Coffee Roasters Association and the proprietor of Typica Coffee, is among the aggrieved. He bemoaned a system that seemingly favours duty-free outlets, sidelining the rest.

“We risk becoming an afterthought,” he told Fortune, voicing concerns over the dwindling presence of businesses like his in airport duty-free locales. “Local turnover is what sustains my business,”

Incorporated with a modest capital of 300,000 Br, Menelik’s Typica Coffee sought to bridge a market gap, serving tourists and travellers keen on taking home distinct Ethiopian coffee brands. He refuted the Authority’s implications about the inferior quality of roasters’ coffee.