On a bustling street near the shiny new international airport in Ethiopia's capital is a small coffee roastery with big dreams.

Nearly 40 Ethiopians — a third of them women — sift, roast and package prized Arabica beans for export to Europe under the Moyee brand, founded by a Dutch social entrepreneur.

The roastery, together with the innovative use of blockchain technology to ensure the supply chain is transparent, represents an attempt to keep as much of the profits as possible in Ethiopia, one of the world's poorest countries.