About This Coffee
This coffee is produced by smallholders in Illubabor, a zone in Limu, Oromia. The region is filled with lush, dense forest that is largely undisturbed. Smallholders cultivate coffee in semi-forested and forested plots that are home to a wide variety of coffee trees, many of which are not found anywhere else. This incredible diversity is evident in the coffee, which is fruity and sweet with green tea, stone fruit and citrus.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Coffee is selectively handpicked by smallholders and laid on raised beds to dry. Cherry is raked frequently and covered with tarps at night to prevent condensation from gathering on cherry. It takes approximately 2 weeks for cherry to dry. Dried cherry is bagged and rested for about 15 days before being transported to Abdi Gudina dry mill in Metu City. There, coffee is dry milled and prepared for export.
Ethiopia Grade 1
Grades in Ethiopia depend on visual inspection for defects and on cup quality. Grade 1 is considered the highest quality coffee. Grade 1 and 2 are considered specialty coffee, grades 3-9 are classified as commercial coffee. Grade 1 is free of cup faults and taints and has zero quakers.
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.