About This Coffee
Shonora Trading PLC is owned and operated by the children of Shonora Gata Yaya, Morkata Shonora and Adugna Shonora. Their father was an important man in their village, Dogo, where everyone knew him. Today, there is a street in Dogo named Shonora in his honor. Shonora’s role in the local community was as an employer and philanthropist. Shonora’s wet mill, founded 30 years ago in Dogo, was a place of hope and opportunity for local families. With a central wet mill, producers could sell their cherry at fair prices and Shonora could ensure it was carefully processed so that it would sell with a quality premium.
In 2021, in honor of the legacy of community their father had left, Morkata and Adugna collaborated with the prestigious Comboni secondary and preparatory school in southern Ethiopia to sponsor two full scholarships. The scholarships cover living expenses and tuition for 2 students for a full 4 years of school.
Cultivation
In addition to coffee, farmers also cultivate enset, corn, maize, teff and gomen, mainly for family consumption.
In addition to remaining traditionally intercropped, most farms are also traditional and organic-by-default. Farmers in Guji typically use very few—if any—fertilizers or pesticides. Most farm work is done manually and very few tasks are mechanized, even during processing.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Coffee is selectively handpicked by smallholder farmers and delivered to the washing station. Cherry is selected and laid on raised beds to dry. Cherry is turned constantly for even drying. It takes approximately 15 to 21 days for cherry to dry.
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.