If you are like me–one of those peo

If you are like me–one of those people who roll out of bed in the morning groping their way to the coffeemaker before you can open your eyes, let alone think, you may be surprised to know that you owe your daily path to consciousness to a mob of curious goats.

Once upon a ninth century, an Arab goatherd Khalid tended to his herd somewhere in the mountains of the Kaffa region of Abyssinia (Ethiopia.) He noticed that his goats seemed to become incredibly energetic after grazing on a particular wild berry, and, perhaps being slightly worn out by chasing them around, decided to try the wondrous fruits himself. He felt the same kick that generations of coffeeholics would be dying for every single morning and many afternoons, and thus the foundation for the addiction was laid.