About This Coffee
Girma Tamiru, loosely meaning ‘Grace Miracle’, operates his washing station located 2,170 meters above sea level, in Gertoba, Yirgacheffe, Ethiopia. These high altitudes create the ideal microclimate for cultivating quality lots. The washing station’s footprint is significant, and Girma employs over 100 workers during the harvest, collecting cherry from farmers working 2.5 hectares on average. The site itself spans 2.5 hectares and has 200 raised beds.
Cash liquidity is a significant challenge in the region; to address this, our woman-led in-country partner and exporter provided 80% of the financing to the farmers. The remaining 20% was paid directly by the Girma to the farmers.
Cultivation
Coffee is cultivated at 2,170 meters above sea level in fertile soils under the shade of false banana trees. The varieties grown are local landraces, well adapted to Yirgacheffe’s unique microclimate. Farming follows organic methods. False banana trees are intercropped to improve soil health and increase biodiversity.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
For each pass during the harvest season, farmers select only the ripest cherries. Upon delivery, only the best cherries are selected for processing, with an initial floating step used to remove underweights. Cherries are then placed on raised beds for 12 to 15 days, with regular turning to ensure even drying. After drying, local women handpick the green beans to remove defects and maintain quality. Once processed, coffee is transported to Moplaco, Gerji in Addis Ababa for storage, before moving by train to Djibouti for export.
Coffee in Ethiopia
While Ethiopia is famous as coffee’s birthplace, today it remains a specialty coffee industry darling for its incredible variety of flavors. While full traceability has been difficult in recent history, new regulations have made direct purchasing possible. We’re partnering directly with farmers to help them produce top quality specialty lots that are now completely traceable, adding value for farmers and roasters, alike.
The exceptional quality of Ethiopian coffee is due to a combination of factors. The genetic diversity of coffee varieties means that we find a diversity of flavor, even between (or within) farms with similar growing conditions and processing. In addition to varieties, processing methods also contribute to end quality. The final key ingredients for excellent coffee in Ethiopia are the producing traditions that have created the genetic diversity, processing infrastructure and great coffee we enjoy today.
Most producers in Ethiopia are smallholders, and the majority continue to cultivate coffee using traditional methods. As a result, most coffee is grown with no chemical fertilizer or pesticide use. Coffee is almost entirely cultivated, harvested and dried using manual systems.