About This Coffee
Abebe Hilu has been cultivating and processing coffee for many years on his farm in Yirgacheffe. His farm sits at an astounding 2,060 meters above sea level. The high altitude creates a climate of warm, sunny days and cool nights that help concentrate sugars and produce a sweet, dense cherry.
Cultivation
Farming methods in Yirgacheffe 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
Abebe selectively handpicks ripe, red cherry and processes it on his farm. Once picked, he lays cherry on his 30 raised drying beds to sundry. He rakes cherry every hour to ensure even drying. He also covers cherry during the hottest part of the day and overnight. Once dry, cherry is bagged and stored in a warehouse on the farm for about 2.5 months before being transported to the dry mill to be 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.