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Apr 19 , 2025

Legacy Businesses in a Liminal Era

At first light in Addis Abeba's Qality District, the smell of freshly roasted Yirgacheffe beans drifts into the yeasty haze from Shoa Bakery's ovens, a blend that sums up Ethiopia's family firms. Such outfits are scarce everywhere, yet in Ethiopia, roughly 40pc are run by second-generation heirs and...

Apr 19 , 2025

The Roast of Resilience Brews in Bloodline

When her father died suddenly in 2008, Heleanna Georgalis found herself at the helm of Moplaco Trading Plc, a venerable coffee company founded in 1897 during Emperor Menelik's reign. Thrust into leadership amid profound grief, she had to steer the uncharted waters of a business world she had not anticipated entering as a fourth-generation proprietor. Over more than a decade of relentless effort, she stabilised the company. Today it exports 1,000tns of coffee a year to Europe, generating seven million dollars in revenue, and has since diversified into pharmaceuticals and real estate. Hele...


Apr 19 , 2025

Ink, Blood and Family Bonds Shape a Quiet Printing Empire

Chamber Printing House Plc was established in 1965 by Asfaw Tefera and Tiruwork Mengistu. Asfaw, then a diplomat at the Ethiopian Embassy in Lagos, Nigeria, spent his spare time in a friend's printery and caught the printing bug. With a 4,000 Br loan he set up one of Ethiopia's earliest private presses in a parking bay offered by the Addis Chamber of Commerce, hence the name “Chamber.” The firm began with bank forms, wedding cards, and the famed “Dire Dawa Konjo”  fabric. In 1970, with a 30,000 Br loan from the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia (CBE), Asfaw bought premises at Old Airport...


Apr 19 , 2025

Old Mixers, New Markets, Bake Belay Legacy into Sweet Future

The pastry house began life in 1964 when friends Belay Teklu and Gebresenay Tedla opened St George Pastry in Merkato. Gebresenay later left, and Belay relaunched at Teklehaimanot, then Lideta, pioneering cakes when Ethiopians still viewed buying bread outside the home as a sin. To attract customers, he sold slices to schoolchildren from Leul Mekonnen for five cents. From an initial paid-up capital of 500,000 Br and annual sales of 100,000 Br, turnover now tops 100 million Br. Since 1998, Belay's children, Amanuel Belay, with siblings Eyob, Bemnet and Sirak, have traded as Belay Teklu &...

Interview

Apr 19 , 2025

From Merkato to Prominence, a Family Recipe Rose Against the Grain

The pioneering spirit behind Shoa Bakery, a name that has become synonymous with bread across Addis Abeba and far beyond, began 64 years ago. Zemui first entered a local bakery as an apprentice, quick...

Apr 19 , 2025

A Coffee Stained Creed Drive WARYT’s Unorthodox Rise

WARYT was established in 1989 under the name Mulutila International; “WARYT” was merely the name of the building that housed the first office. Soon afterwards, the family resolved to rename the co...

Apr 19 , 2025

From Fabric to Fortune Get As Weaves Legacy into Corporate Might

The family business dates back to its foundation in 1975, when a courageous young entrepreneur made a bold move to start his own textile trading business. Later, as the business took shape for the bet...

Apr 19 , 2025

When Family Ties Paint the Future

Makush Art Gallery & Restaurant was founded in 2000 by Tesfaye Hiwote, after spending three decades in the United States. A pioneer in combining fine dining with visual art, the gallery has become...

Jan 19 , 2025

"Music is a Science, We Must Respect Our Scientists"

Mulatu Astatke, the creator of Ethio Jazz, views music as a science, much like chemistry, where sounds combine to form melodies and harmonies. Mulatu's unique style blends Ethiopian musical modes with...

Jan 5 , 2025

SOMICK'S LENS

Sewmehon Yismaw, known affectionately as "Somick," is a filmmaker who describes his life as a mystery he would personally direct. He speaks proudly of his childhood, recounting how his gift for storyt...

Dec 22 , 2024

State Enterprises from Oracles to Apprentices

Charged with transforming colossal state-owned enterprises into modern and competitive powerhouses, the sovereign wealth manager, Ethiopian Investment Holdings (EIH), is at a defining moment. At the h...

Aug 4 , 2024

Patience - Consistency - Respect

France's Ambassador to Ethiopia up until last week, Remi Marechaux, arrived in Addis Abeba four years ago with a dual mandate of representing his country and engaging with the African Union (AU). He d...

Jun 1 , 2024

Weeding Out Debt, Seeding a Greener Economy

Jennifer Lee Morgan, inaugural state secretary of Germany and special envoy for International Climate Action, is spearheading a  shift in global financial structures to facilitate a sustainable trans...

May 11 , 2024

BGI Ethiopia Stirs the Pot with Bold Moves, Sour Realities

Herve Milhade, the CEO of BGI Ethiopia, believes he is steering the company toward a more consumer-centric focus. He emphasises that his goal is not to be a leader in paying taxes but to “become the...

Jan 27 , 2024

Cloudy Horizons in the Digital Ecosystem

With a background in cybersecurity, CEO Charly Bahaous is from Israel and relocated to South Africa in 2006. Under his watch,  Touchnet has grown to encompass over 300 employees across various sub-se...

Jan 7 , 2024

Inside the Quirky World of Ethiopia's Tech, Finance Mavericks

ABREHAM TILAHUN (Kacha) Abraham Tilahun, 40, married and a father of four, is an alumnus of Addis Abeba and Jimma universities and graduated in Banking & Finance and Accounting. Under his leade...

Dec 23 , 2023

Marcus Pledges to Offer Modern Ethiopian Experience

Fortune: What does opening a new restaurant feel like? Marcus Samuelsson: It is a homecoming. I have been in hospitality most of my life, so sharing this in my homeland is incredibly gratifying. Bo...

Oct 21 , 2023

Germany Takes a Stand

In a noteworthy gesture signalling its commitment to international peace and development, Germany has sealed an ambitious deal with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The agreement, amou...

Sep 9 , 2023

TRADITION TALENT TRANSITION

A musical tidal wave is sweeping through the Ethiopian youth as a team of poetic and visionary talents keeps dropping hit tracks one after the other. Where tradition and modernity are in a perpetual d...

Sep 10 , 2023

The Untamed Spirit: Living Young Wild and Free

Growing up in Addis Abeba, the spectacular metropolis of the Bole Kebele 19 area did not stand a chance to offer what Aziz Ahmed had found in the wild — freedom. What started as a simple trip with h...


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