About This Coffee
Aramo washing staton is located in Yirgacheffe, which is home to some of the most highly sought-after coffees in the world. Coffee was made to flourish in Yirgacheffe. Literally! Arabica coffee plants are native to Yirgacheffe, Arabica grew wild in Yirgacheffe before it grew anywhere else in the world.
As a result, Yirgacheffe’s climate is the climate for Arabica coffee. All the things the coffee industry seeks elsewhere - high altitudes, nutrient-rich soil, adequate rainfall, warm days and cool nights - are here in Yirgacheffe because Arabica evolved to flourish in Yirgacheffe’s climate.
Combine all that with the rigorous, quality-focused processing at Aramo washing station and you have the original recipe for great coffee.
Cultivation
Farming methods in the region remain largely traditional. 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 Aramo. At intake, employees hand sort incoming cherry to remove any under- or over-ripes or damaged cherry.
Cherry is then pulped and fermented for 36 to 48 hours in the station’s standardized fermenting tanks. After fermentation, parchment is washed in clean water and transferred to raised drying beds where they will dry for approximately 18 days. The station marks all drying beds with a code that makes it simple to keep track of traceability and processing status.
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.