Society Tella’s comeback: Ethiopia’s ancient brew finds new life among the youth
January 11, 2025
In the heart of Megenagna, one of Addis Ababa’s busiest districts, a quiet revival is brewing atop a shopping complex known as Trend Park. Here, young Ethiopians crowd into a modest pub-restaurant that serves more than just food—it offers a taste of tradition.
But the drink drawing them in isn’t the typical bottled beer lining supermarket shelves. It’s tella, a homemade, fermented barley beverage once associated with older generations and rural gatherings. Now, it’s making an unexpected comeback among the city’s youth.
For Mamo Seleshi, a university student in his twenties, the appeal was gradual. “At first, I didn’t like the taste,” Mamo admits. “But with beer prices constantly rising, my friends and I decided to try tella Now, this place feels like our regular hangout. It connects us to a tradition our parents once enjoyed.”
Mamo’s sentiment is echoed by his friend from Johannesburg, South Africa, who recently visited Addis Ababa. “I always thought tella was outdated, something our generation wouldn’t touch,” he says. “But what’s the point of visiting Ethiopia if you don’t fully experience its culture? Beer is everywhere, but tella is something special.”
Brewing Business Opportunities
The resurgence of tella isn’t just social—it’s also entrepreneurial. Frehiwot Tadele, 32, began brewing tella at home after watching a TikTok tutorial. What started as a personal experiment soon evolved into a thriving business in her Ayat neighborhood.
“Initially, it was just for me and my family,” Frehiwot says. But slowly I started getting phone calls and it has extended to many contacts all over Addis Ababa owing to the popularity of the drink among younger people.”
Frehiwot’s success reflects a larger trend: the growing appreciation for traditional, locally made products among Ethiopia’s younger generation. Her ambitions to expand hint at a wider shift in consumption patterns, where affordability and authenticity trump mass production.
At Abekesh Traditional Tella House in Ketchene, the cultural renaissance of tella is on full display. Patrons young and old sit side by side on wooden stools, sipping the earthy brew to the sounds of traditional Ethiopian music. Here, social boundaries blur.
Tewodros Alemu, a middle-aged laborer at a nearby construction site, finds comfort in both the taste and the price. “Not only is it affordable, but tella is always homemade with care—not mass-produced in factories,” he says.
A Brew Caught Between Tradition and Modernization
At Bekesah, a traditional tella house, a five-liter jug of the homemade brew costs around 450 birr—enough for a large group to share and savor. On holidays, the venue amplifies the cultural experience by inviting traditional masinko players, Ethiopia’s version of the violin, to entertain guests.
Yet, in a city racing toward modernization, spaces like Bekesah are becoming increasingly rare. Addis Ababa’s skyline is rapidly transforming, with towering skyscrapers replacing the traditional houses that once served as hubs for cultural gatherings. The city’s shrinking number of cultural venues has pushed many to opt for modern pubs over traditional spaces, threatening the survival of Ethiopia’s rich social traditions.
Still, many remain hopeful that the customs that once defined Ethiopia’s identity will endure.
In the Bole neighborhood, near the iconic Medhane Alem Cathedral and close to the popular Kebe Café, once stood a bustling tella bét—a traditional tella house—frequented by construction workers from nearby sites. Earlier this year, the area was cleared to make way for an apartment complex, transforming the lively street into a quiet, desolate space.
Almaz Beyene, the owner of the now-demolished tella house, was renowned for her expertly brewed tella, a craft passed down from her parents.
“To me, the tella I made was love in a cup—a tribute to my upbringing and a tradition I wanted to share with my neighbors,” Almaz reflected.
However, the soaring cost of rent in the capital has crushed her dream of reopening. The rising prices make it nearly impossible to maintain the affordability that made tella accessible to all.
“What’s being lost isn’t just our properties—it’s our identity,” Almaz lamented, criticizing the city’s rapid transformation into a landscape of Dubai-like skyscrapers that overshadow the cultural essence of Addis Ababa.
A Growing, Yet Selective, International Appeal
Foreigners have been slow to embrace tella, but some expatriates—particularly members of the Chinese community working in Ethiopia—are beginning to appreciate the traditional brew.
At Yod Abyssinia Cultural Restaurant, where tej (a homemade honey wine) is a popular choice among visitors, some patrons express a growing interest in tella. The restaurant’s vibrant atmosphere features live music performances, occasionally even in Mandarin and Cantonese, drawing a diverse crowd.
One Chinese customer, an employee of a Chinese construction company in Ethiopia, shared his fondness for tella, though he preferred to remain anonymous.
“Whenever I bring guests here, I order tej, but I wish they served tella too,” he said, recalling how he first discovered the drink while working on a major construction project in the Amhara region.
“Tella is such a mesmerizing drink. I could enjoy it regularly. It takes me back to my early days in Ethiopia,” he added with a laugh. “But tej gets me drunk too quickly, and I don’t like that.”