Pereiti į turinį
The woman who crossed
the Sahara to build
a coffee brand.
Ethiopian refugee. Lithuanian entrepreneur. Mother of three. Coffee roaster. Builder of schools. As covered by Reuters, UNHCR, The Mail on Sunday, TVP World, LRT, and the Kaunas Biennial.
From Addis Abeba
to Pilies g. 26
Eskedar Tilahun is an Ethiopian-born entrepreneur, social activist, and cultural ambassador based in Vilnius, Lithuania. She is the founder of Eskedar Coffee — four specialty café locations in Vilnius, an online store shipping across Europe, and a coffee brand built entirely on the story of one woman's crossing from Ethiopia to the Baltic.
— Ian Birrell, The Mail on Sunday, 2021
Born in Ethiopia, the birthplace of coffee, Eskedar grew up in a family of 19 with a grandfather of royal blood who taught her that a girl could do what she wanted. In 2005, as a student activist, she joined protests after disputed elections. When government forces opened fire on protesters, she fled.
Her journey to safety took eleven months. It crossed the Sahara Desert — 38 people in a jeep built for five, nine days, water mixed with fuel — then Sudan, then a Libyan detention facility, then the Mediterranean in a small boat while pregnant. Her daughter Hana was born in Malta. They arrived in Lithuania in winter.
Today, Eskedar speaks Lithuanian fluently, holds a Bachelor's and Master's degree in International Business Management, and has built one of Vilnius's most recognised coffee brands from nothing. She is also building a primary school in Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia through the Eskedar Coffee Foundation — so the children of the farmers who grow her coffee can have the education that changed her own life.
She is available for interviews, keynote speaking, podcasts, documentary participation, and media collaboration. Her story spans: migration, entrepreneurship, women's rights, Ethiopian culture and coffee, Lithuanian society, and the meaning of home.
"The hardest thing in life is to lose your life. And I went through that at least twice and survived. So everything that comes after — financial difficulties, discrimination — it is truly nothing, compared to having to drink water mixed with fuel just to survive."
Let's tell
the story together.
Eskedar is available for print interviews, broadcast media, documentary projects, keynote speaking, podcast appearances, and book-related press. All enquiries responded to within 48 hours. Interviews available in English, Lithuanian, and Amharic.
For event bookings, speaking engagements, or to discuss bringing Eskedar Coffee to your organisation, city or country — get in touch directly.
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