About This Coffee
Farmers delivering to Daretu washing station cultivate cherry at 1,900 to 2,100 meters above sea level in Yirgacheffe. Yirgacheffe, once a part of Sidamo, is its own microregion for good reason: the unique microclimate creates a floral and fruity profile that’s to die for. At Daretu station, cherry grown in these superb conditions is processed with incredible care and attention to detail, creating a delicious Fully washed coffee that you won’t want to miss.
Cultivation
Farming methods in the region remain largely traditional. Yirgacheffe 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 in Yirgacheffe 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, red cherry and deliver it to Daretu washing station. At intake, cherry is floated to remove underripes and visually inspected to ensure only the highest quality cherry is processed. Cherry is pulped on a drum pulper and fermented in water for 48 hours. Following fermentation, cherry is washed in clean water and laid on raised beds to dry. Parchment is raked frequently to ensure even drying. It takes approximately 12 days for parchment to dry. Once dry, parchment is rested in a warehouse for about 2 months before being transported to Addis Ababa to be hulled and prepared 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.