Our
History
Black Lion Coffee is rooted in a legacy that began in the southern highlands of Ethiopia, where Mr Cheru Bizenu first began trading raw coffee beans in the late 19th century. His work connected local farmers to growing markets and laid the foundation for a family tradition built on integrity, craft, and deep respect for Ethiopian coffee.
In the decades that followed, his son, Mr Tadele Bizenu, expanded the business by establishing coffee plantations and washing plants. These sites supplied high-quality beans to major markets and to agents exporting to Europe, strengthening Ethiopia’s reputation for exceptional Arabica.
The next generation, led by Dr Buzuayehu T. Bizenu, carried this legacy forward with renewed entrepreneurial energy. After gaining hands-on experience in the family’s operations, he broadened the business into new commodities and later into tea blending and packaging. Under the Black Lion Tea brand, the company introduced loose black teas known for their bold aroma and rich flavour, becoming one of Ethiopia’s most admired tea names.
By the mid-nineties, the company entered industrial manufacturing by creating a tea estate and processing factory on 2,000 acres of land in southwestern Ethiopia. This marked a major step in transforming the business from trading to value-added production.
Today, Black Lion Coffee continues this evolution by roasting and packaging premium Ethiopian Arabica for both local and international markets. The mission is simple and enduring: to honour Ethiopian coffee at every stage, from sourcing to roasting, and to share its authentic character with the world.
The company maintains strict quality standards, selecting only top-grade beans and using advanced roasting and packaging technologies. Skilled tasters and baristas play a central role in ensuring consistency, supported by continuous training that reflects the family’s long‑standing commitment to excellence.
Black Lion Coffee remains dedicated to crafting the finest and freshest Arabica, carrying forward a heritage shaped by generations of expertise and a deep connection to Ethiopia’s coffee‑growing lands.
since
1891
Among others, in the 1980’s, he engaged in the blending and packaging of loose black teas under the brand name Black Lion Tea, which has become Ethiopia’s most admired and leading tea brand for it’s bold aroma & flavour.
In 1995, Mr. Buzuayehu ventured into industrial manufacturing by establishing a Tea Estate & Tea Processing Factory on approximately 2,000 acres of land in southwestern Ethiopia.
Following in the family traditions of coffee trading, the company has now taken the initiative to add value to Ethiopian coffees by venturing into the Coffee roasting and packaging industry.
The prime objective of this venture is to produce premium coffees under the master brand of Black Lion and to promote Ethiopian coffees globally.
The company adheres to it’s strict values of maintaining the best product quality during the whole production process by sourcing top quality beans and using state of the art technologies during the coffee roasting & packaging operations. It also employs highly skilled experts such as tasters and baristas, and provides continuous rigorous training to them; in order to consistently maintain optimum quality on the final product as it has been doing for many decades.
