Harvest & Post-Harvest
After selective handpicking, ripe, red cherry is collected and visually inspected to remove any underripe cherry. Cherry is pulped and the pulper separates coffee by weight.
Coffee is fermented in clean water for 36 to 72 hours. The water is replaced with fresh water 3 times during the fermentation process. After fermentation, parchment is moved through canals and washed in clean water to remove any remaining mucilage.
Parchment is soaked for 8 to 16 hours in freshwater and then placed on raised skin drying tables. Over the course of the day that parchment dries on the skin drying tables, workers visually handsort parchment and remove any damaged beans.
After one day, parchment is moved to drying beds where workers continuously rake drying parchment to promote uniform drying. Drying takes approximately 9 to 12 days. Dry parchment is transported to Addis Ababa where is it dry milled and prepared for export.
About Guji
Guji coffee has only recently been distinguished from neighboring Sidamo and Yirgacheffe. However, due to their incredible quality and unique profiles, they are quickly gaining international recognition.
The Guji region receives ample rainfall and is marked by steep mountainous terrain: perfect conditions to support the vast array of coffee grown here.
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.