About This Coffee
Nestled in the beautiful, mountainous highlands of Uraga Woreda in Guji region, Siko is a small area located just before reaching Solomo town. Over the years, Siko has gained a distinguished reputation for producing some of the finest coffees in Uraga. The area's high altitude, fertile soil, ample rainfall, and expert processing methods consistently yield outstanding results.
The Alemayehu Sali Washing and Drying Station is located in Siko Village, where it is run and managed by Alemayehu Sali himself. Over the years, he has specialized in processing both washed and natural coffees, becoming a key figure in the village’s coffee development. Together with his brother, Alemayehu has been operating in Siko for over seven years, establishing what is considered the first wet mill in the area. The region is characterized by semi-forest vegetation, and local farmers also grow maize, barley, sorghum, and enset also know as false banana. Siko's biodiversity is remarkable, with indigenous tree species blanketing the landscape.
Cultivation
Approximately 564 farmers deliver their carefully handpicked red cherry to this wet mill, harvesting in the morning and delivering in the afternoon for pulping.
Farmers are fortuitously located in Guji, a coffee growing region that was once part of Yirgacheffe but whose microclimate produces such unique coffee, that it was allocated as its own coffee growing region. Farming methods in the region remain largely traditional. Guji farmers typically intercrop their coffee plants with other food crops. This method is common among smallholders because it maximizes land use and provides food for their families. In addition to remaining traditionally intercropped, most farms are also organic-by-default. Farmers typically use very few—if any—fertilizers or pesticides. Most farm work is done manually by the immediate family.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Farmers selectively handpick ripe cherry and deliver it to the washing station. Cherry is hand sorted at intake and sundry on raised beds.
Ethiopia Grade 1
Grades in Ethiopia depend on visual inspection for defects and on cup quality. Grade 1 is considered the highest quality coffee. Grade 1 and 2 are considered specialty coffee, grades 3-9 are classified as commercial coffee. Grade 1 is free of cup faults and taints and has zero quakers.
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.