ROCHESTER — Rochester opened its first Ethiopian store earlier this summer. Adey Abeba General Import and Ethiopian Store is an Ethiopian store that offers a variety of cultural items and Ethiopian foods.

Kebebe Abay, the owner of Adey Abebe, is Ethiopian and knows how difficult it is to find ingredients for traditional dishes, especially in the Minnesota area.

Abay is from Eagan but has friends in the Ethiopian community in Rochester. Abay spent some time in Rochester and announced his plans to St. George’s Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. He was received with positive feedback and enthusiasm.

“We studied the community here,” Abay said. “We sat together and discussed, and when I told our friends here, they were very happy.”

He knew that there was no way to get certain Ethiopian ingredients in the area and that people came to the cities two to four times a month to buy these things. One of these staples is injera, a thin Ethiopian flatbread.

“Everyone has injera at home. It’s normal. Americans, for example, need bread. It’s always like that. You have to have it. So they go to Minneapolis or St. Paul. They buy two or three (bags of injera) for a week or for 15 days,” he said.

Lily Dozier / Post Bulletin

Injera tastes sour due to the fermentation process the bread goes through. It is made from flax and barley flour and is usually finger food with dips and sauces. The ingredients to make injera can all be bought from Adey Abebe.

The actual frying pan used to make injera is also available at the store. It is one of the many items in the store that are not food but are food-related. It sits next to a couple of mesobs, a traditional Ethiopian basket used to store and serve injera. It is a colorful woven basket that families gather around to eat.

There is also a wide range of tea and coffee ware. They have traditional coffee pots that match the Ethiopian coffee beans they sell in the shop. Ethiopia is widely considered the birthplace of coffee and is one of the leading coffee producers. It is known for its unique flavour profile and Abay sets up a coffee room in the shop.

Aside from the food items available in the store, there is also a variety of cosmetic items available for purchase. They offer beauty products such as henna, hair dyes and clothing items. They have a wide range of traditional clothing from dresses to bags and shoes. Their bags, belts and shoes are made of leather and Abay is happy with the variety of styles and patterns they have.

Abay is happy with the items they currently have and looks forward to continuing to get to know the Rochester community. They haven’t had a grand opening yet, but are planning on doing something in the near future.

Lily Dozier / Post Bulletin

Lily Dozier / Post Bulletin

Lily Dozier / Post Bulletin

Lily Dozier / Post Bulletin

Lily Dozier / Post Bulletin

Sara Guymon is a business reporter for the Post Bulletin. Guymon grew up in New Ulm, Minnesota. She graduated from New Ulm Public High School and then attended college at the University of Minnesota Duluth. While at UMD, Guymon majored in journalism and minored in photography and international studies. Before joining the Post Bulletin, she worked as an editor for the Brainerd Dispatch, covering the city of Baxter and business.