Lalisaa Project

Sucafina’s Lalisaa project was founded in 2020. The program encourages strong growing practices, rewards the production of quality coffee and helps farmers take control of their part of the supply chain by partnering directly with roasters and other smallholders.  

Background

Between 2008 and 2017, most coffee in Ethiopia (with some exceptions for certified coffees) was sold by mandate via the Ethiopia Coffee Exchange (ECX). In 2017, the Ethiopian Coffee & Tea Development and Marketing Authority introduced a bill that allowed Ethiopian coffee, including coffee sold through the ECX, to be marketed and sold with full traceability. The bill also gave farmers a chance to apply for export licenses that enabled them to process, market and export their coffee directly. These changes led more farmers to construct their own processing infrastructure and gave them more freedom over their supply chain relationships. However, the new strategy did not invest directly in small-scale farmers, many of whom had little experience negotiating with exporters and importers. Equally, most had limited processing knowledge and little access to the tools required for high-quality coffee production and processing.

We started Lalisaa as a way to help farmers gain the skills and develop the relationships they needed to take advantage of this new trading environment. Since Lalisaa was founded, we’ve worked to facilitate market access and skills development numerous from Kochere, Gedeg, Yirgacheffe, Shakiso, Bule Hora and Sidamo.

Today’s Lalisaa

Participating Farmers are selected based on:

• Farm size (bigger than 2.5 hectares)
• Location & altitude (higher than 1,800 meters above sea level) 
• Work experience of producers 

The program helps farmers strengthen growing practices and secure direct trade to take greater control of their role in the supply chain. As of 2025, most of the Sucafina Team working on the Lalisaa initiative stay year-round in the same region as the farmers they are working with, mainly in Yirgacheffe and Sidamo, to be more readily available with guidance and training. 

New farmers are onboarded each year for a training program that is intended to help farmers improve yields and quality while also accessing new markets and financial services. Farmers in the program participate in a wide range of activities including designing, and later revising, a farm management plan, accessing financing for larger farm projects and more. 

Key activities include support from our team of Agronomists, who ensure training in:

• Good Agricultural Practices (GAP).
• Yield improvements
• Sustainability support
• Cost reduction
• Record keeping
• Quality Control Training
• Natural Processing Quality Control and Processing improvements from harvest to drying.

Routine follow-up and immediate response to farmers based on his/her questions regarding coffee quality is also given. Goals include continuing to widen our network and opening dialogue with others in the region who may be interested in becoming a Lalisaa participant in the future. 

In addition to working with farmers to improve quality and yield, Sucafina Ethiopia is, through Lalisaa, making introductions between roasters and farmers. By bringing roasters to visit farmers and begin discussions, Lalisaa coffees are helping make connections and developing relationships between farmers and their potential clients. This will enable direct trade relationships that can benefit both farmers and roasters.