About This Coffee
Sibu Coffee Exporters owns and manages Sibu Farm near Dame Dabaye village in Guji. In addition to being one of the founding Executives of the Ethiopian Commodity Exchange (ECX), Kedir Hassen Aredo is the third generation in his family to manage this family-owned business.
As Sibu Farm stewards the nutrient-dense volcanic soil that is typical of the Guji region on their own farm, they also partner closely with nearby coffee farmers to produce high quality coffee to augment their on-farm production. To maintain exacting quality standards, Sibu incentivizes outgrowers by offering premiums for quality production.
Sibu is dedicated in the local communities that drive its coffee exporting. They reinvest in coffee-producing communities with a focus on education and health. Sibu has built a school and accompanying library, public toilets, rural roads and expanded clean water access.
Harvest & Post-Harvest
Coffee is selectively handpicked. Ripe cherry is then pulped in a classic pulper and fermented before being washed in clean water. Wet parchment is laid dry on raised drying beds. Workers turn and visually inspect drying parchment frequently and remove any damaged parchment. It takes approximately 12 to 14 days for coffee to dry. Once dry, coffee is bagged and rests for 1 to 2 months at Mordo Coffee Processing Factory before being milled and prepared for export at Hayat Eyasu Dry Mill in Dimtu village.
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.
About Sibu Coffee Producers and Exporters
Sibu Coffee Producers and Exporters source cherry from their own farm, farmers delivering to their 3 washing stations and farmers, washing stations or collectors selling dried coffee to Sibu. Each of their washing stations supports 20 permanent employees and 180 season workers.
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.