Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Negele Gorbitu FTO Natural-Not Available


The district of Abaya runs along the western limit of Gedeo Zone, the narrow southern region teeming with dense farming communities and hyper-competitive processors known as “Yirgacheffe”. Abaya district, while technically outside of Gedeo Zone and a part of the Oromia region, does have a few corners that cross the boarder into Gedeo. It’s in one of these small overlaps that the Negele Gorbitu cooperative has its washing station. Because of this, and because of its characteristic “Yirgacheffe” cup profile (doubtless because cooperative members are living and farming across various Gedeo communities) Negele Gorbitu is firmly considered a quintessential “Yirgacheffe” cooperative. Negele Gorbitu is a smaller cooperative for this region with fewer than 500 members, 450 of which are certified organic. Farmers average about 4 hectares each and often interplant their coffee with beans and enset. Overnight conditions on this side of Gedeo are often cold and humid, extending fermentation and drying times at the processing site. The cooperative retains 9 full time staff throughout the year and an additional 136 during harvest. Coffees from Negele Gorbitu tend to be delicate but full flavored, with citrus and stone fruit flavors, and tart, fragrant coffee cherry notes from the sundried process.
Importers Cupping notes:  Strawberry, blueberry, creamy. sweet pastry dough.
Grower                 450 producers organized around the Negele Gorbitu cooperative
Variety                  Indigenous cultivars
Region                   Abaya district, Gedeo Zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ Region, 
Altitude                 1900 – 2000 masl.     Soil:  Vertisol
Process                  Full natural and dried on raised beds
Certifications         Fair Trade, Organic
Crop                       2020                     Arrived:  November 20, 2020

See Home Page for Quantity Discounts

1 - 4 pounds      

$7.25                 
 

Ethiopia Guji Deri Kocha Natural-Not Available


Guji’s processing and estate-building capacity is expanding constantly, with some of the most progressive conservationist and social impact plans in the country. The best profiles all seem to contain a little of every one of Ethiopia’s major terroirs in almost perfect harmony: mouthwatering lactic acid, punchy berries and fleshy tropical fruits, brisk and delicate florals, and juicy cup structures. Which is understandable considering the developing landscape includes regional coffee cultivars brought from throughout Ethiopia’s southern and western areas.

Deri Kochoa, Ethiopia
Great Ethiopian scoring 93 Points on Coffee Review!
Around 500-600 farmers bring their coffee to the Deri Kochoha mill where it is processed with an age-old traditional Ethiopian processing method. A traditional disc pulper is used to remove the cherry skins. The coffee then undergoes a very long 72 hour under-water, traditional fermentation to break down the mucilage. The coffee is vigorously agitated in the fermentation tank with wooden paddles to work off the mucilage. The coffee then spends the night in the soaking tank and is later dried on raised beds. The classic coffee processing method of this region develops coffees that are known for being sweet, nuanced and clean..

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Ethiopia Gedeb Bedhatu Jibicho Grade 1 Washed Process-Not Available


Ethiopia Gedeb 1 Washed Bedhatu Jibicho GrainPro is produced by Bedhatu Jibicho. Bedhatu was born and raised in Worka where her farm is also located. She started working in coffee in the 1960s when the government gave land to her husband. Bedhatu’s takes great pride in the fact that she has managed the farm operations for over 50 years, even before her husband passed away in 1991. As Bedhatu is now over 80 years old, her adult children have started to become more involved in continuing her rich tradition of coffee production. The family plans to use the premiums from coffee sales to expand production and start an export company.



ORIGIN INFORMATION
Grower                 Bedhatu Jibicho
Variety                 Indigenous heirloom cultivars
Region                  Gedeb District, Gedeo Zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region, E
Harvest                 October - December
Altitude                1800 – 1900 meters
Soil                       Vertisol
Process                  Fully washed and dried on raised beds
Arrived                   September 18, 2020

Importers Cupping notes:  Strawberry, cocoa, blackberry

See Home Page for Quantity Discounts
1-4 lbs        
$6.00 

Grower       700 farmers organized around the Shakiso washing station
Variety.       Indigenous cultivars
Region.       Bobaya Ouke District, Guji Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia
Harvest      October - January
Altitude      1650 – 1800 masl
Soil             Vertisol
Process      Full natural and dried on raised beds
Crop.          2020
Arrived.      December 23, 2020

See Home Page for Quantity Discounts
1 - 4 pounds         
 $7.00                


Grower                       Grima Edema | Guji Coffee Export PLC
Variety                        Indigenous heirloom
Region                        Guji Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia
Harvest                       October – December
Altitude                      1800 – 2200 meters
Soil                             Vertisol
Process                       Full natural and dried on raised beds
Certifications              Decaf

Arrived:                         May 30, 2020


See Home Page for quantity discounts.

1 - 4  lbs .        
$6.25


Grower                     131 coffee producers from Al Qafr, Ibb, in Yemen
Variety                     Hawari
Region                      Al-Haymah Sana'a,  Yemen
Harvest                     October - February
Altitude                    1000 – 2000 meters
Soil                           Sandy loam
Process                     Full natural and dried on rooftops
Arrived                     April 9, 2021

See Home Page for Quantity Discounts
1 - 4 pounds     
 $9.00  (Was $11.00 - same great coffee!)           

  

Africa




See Home Page for Quantity Discounts

1-4 lbs            
 $6.75             

Uganda Sipi Falls Organic/RFA Blue Mountain-Not Available


Sipi Falls, named after the mountain’s most famous waterfall just down the road, is a centralized wet mill located in the Kapchorwa district that buys and processes cherry from 8,000 organic and diversified farms across the northern part of the mountain. The sheer volume of quality coffee produced by this single wet mill is a testament to the truly ideal conditions of elevation, biological wealth, and human experience that abound between the farmers and Sipi Falls’ management team. Not to mention the ingenious business model itself, which, more than 20 years after its founding, continues to be a leader in affordable, certified coffee of the highest quality on the continent. 
The wet mill was Africa’s first certified organic producer, in 2002. Farmers across Mt. Elgon for years have been (and still are) accustomed to rudimentary home processing techniques. The vast majority of coffee coming off the mountain is pulped in tiny batches, often on borrowed equipment, and fermented in a bucket or a nylon bag prior to being tarp-dried on the ground, or at best on a mesh screen a few inches above the patio. The team at Kawacom, the export company that built the Sipi Falls mill, recognized greater potential in the landscape than previously seen, and set about to capture that potential at scale. Sipi Falls facilitates retrieval of cherry, mechanical de-mucilaging, fermentation, washing, patio pre-drying, mechanical drying and conditioning at their mill property at 1800m elevation. In the on-site cupping lab they taste every finished batch immediately after drying completes, and then again multiple weeks later to verify the final rested quality for export. The result is not only a clean, exemplary expression of the gorgeous Elgon terroir, but a shelf-stable green coffee whose delicate attributes resist degradation. And profitability follows: the qualities produced by scaling and centralizing processing mean a significantly higher cherry price to farmers; not to mention relieving them of the extended labor, risk, and expense of processing and storing coffee at the household level.

Importers cupping notes:  LEMONGRASS, CINNAMON SUGAR, SILKY, CLEAN
Others note:  Blackberry, Chocolate, Caramel
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Ethiopia Hambela ORGANIC ALAKA-Not Available 


GRAINPRO is sourced from METAD Agricultural Development PLC (METAD). METAD is a third generation family owned business with a rich history that began after World War II when the Ethiopian Emperor awarded Muluemebet Emiru, the first African female pilot and family matriarch, with land in the Guji and Sidama zones that has become the Hambela Coffee Estate. METAD is managed by Aman Adinew who returned to Ethiopia after many years working abroad at the executive level for multiple fortune 500 companies because he wanted to make a difference for his family and community. Through Aman’s leadership, METAD has strengthened the local community with employment opportunities including a workforce that is over seventy percent women, educational opportunities including university scholarships and sponsorship for a state-of-the-art elementary school with more than 700 students, and healthcare for employees. METAD was also first to partner with Grounds for Health in Ethiopia to implement a successful cervical cancer screening program for women within the coffee growing communities. METAD has an expanding Out-grower program designed to provide technical assistance, share modern farming equipment, and provide certification programs for more than 5,000 local farmers who are paid premiums for their cherry and second payments after coffee is sold. Quality and certification premiums have also helped METAD build roads and community centers. METAD has the first and only private state-of-the-art SCAA certified coffee quality control lab on the African continent used to train both domestic and international coffee professionals.
Alaka, among the many collection and washing sites at the vast Hambela estate in Guji, is perennially among our favorites from Ethiopia. It’s made an appearance before as a Crown Jewel, and this iteration is an elegant, clean washed coffee with notes of sweet tea, hibiscus, chamomile, honeydew melon, pear, and plum. It’s on the softer side, not a screamer, but so very sweet and delicious, easily one of the most chuggable Gujis that have come through our doors this season.
The name Hambela has emerged as a recognizable denomination of origin in recent years, largely due to the efforts of the Adinew family. While Hambela Wamena is the name of a district, it is the Hambela farm, run by Aman, Michael, and Tariku Adinew, that stakes the claim as a center for exceptional coffee production.
The estate was part of a gift of land during the time of Emperor Haile Selassie to Muluemebet Emiru, the first African female pilot. It is her grandchildren that now manage the farmland and the METAD Agricultural Development company. Among the many important pieces of work undertaken by METAD are their commitment to equal employment opportunities for women and education opportunities for the youth of the coffeelands, their early partnerships with Grounds for Health, and their development of Africa’s first SCAA certified lab.


Blind Assessment: Very delicate, sweetly savory. Lemon verbena, allspice, dried persimmon, dogwood, baker’s chocolate in aroma and cup. Balanced, sweet-savory structure; velvety-smooth mouthfeel. The sweetly herb-toned finish centers on notes of lemon verbena and dried persimmon wrapped in baker’s chocolate.
Notes: This coffee tied for the second-highest rating in a tasting of 71 organic-certified coffees from Africa for Coffee Review’s tasting report. Southern Ethiopia produces distinctive coffees from traditional varieties of Arabica long grown in the region. This lot was processed by the wet or washed method (fruit skin and pulp are removed before drying). Certified USDA organic.  The Bottom Line: A delicate, richly sweet wet-processed Ethiopia: spice, herb, fruit and flowers in intricate balance.


Grower:                        Hambela Coffee Farm
Variety:                        Indigenous heirloom varieties and selections
Region:                        Hambela Wamena, Guji Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia
Harvest:                        October - December
Altitude:                        1900 – 2200 masl
Soil:                                    Clay minerals
Process:                        Fully washed after pulping and fermenting, then soaked in clean water. Dried on raised    beds.
Certifications:                        Organic

Arrived:                         November 2, 2020

See Home Page for Quantity Discounts
1-4 lbs              
 $5.75               
           




See Home Page for Quantity Discounts

1 - 4 pounds         
 $5.50                   



Grower.             500+ producers organized around Ashenafi Woressa | Derikocha Washing Station
Variety.             Indigenous cultivars
Region               Derikidame, Hambelawamena District, Guji Zone, Oromia Region, Ethiopia
Harvest              October – January
Altitude             1950 – 2250 meters
Soil                    VertisolProcess
Crop                  2020-2021
Process              Full natural and dried on raised bed
Arrived:    May 15, 2021


See Home Page for Quantity Discounts
1-4 lbs            
 $7.00             

  

Type your paragraph here.

Ethiopia Natural Blend Swiss Water Process - Not Available


On occasion, we come across a decaffeinated coffee that doesn’t have the indicative flavor characteristics of a decaf, this is one of those coffees. It’s no surprise then that this coffee was produced in Oromia, one of the world’s most beloved growing regions. Coupled with Ethiopia’s heirloom varieties and meticulous processing, Oromia’s terroir produces some of the world’s most interesting and delicious coffees. This lot was processed using the natural method, where after harvesting the pulp is left fully intact and dried whole on raised beds. When everything works perfectly, as with this example, the resulting cup is smooth with intense fruit-forward flavors.

This coffee was decaffeinated using the Swiss Water Process of caffeine extraction, without the use of chemical solvents. The coffee soaks in a ͞green coffee extract that coaxes caffeine out of the beans while leaving much of the original flavor intact. The extract then passes through activated carbon filters that remove the caffeine. This process continues until the beans are 99.9% caffeine free.
Some say decaf drinkers are the purest of heart of all coffee lovers — there’s no psychoactive incentive for consumption. You’ll have to be the judge for yourself, but if this example were less the exception and more the rule, I’d be entirely convinced.


Importers tasting notes:  Sweet, caramel, light citrus.

Kenya Endebess Estate-Not Available


This natural-processed coffee offered by Endebess Estate is fully washed with fresh river water from the Koitobos River and then sun-dried on raised beds. It typically takes 21 to 28 days to dry, depending on the weather. The beans are rotated at least four times a day.
Rift Valley contains the Cherang'any Hills and a chain of volcanoes, some of which are still active. The Cherang'any Hills are one of Kenya's five main forests and catchment areas and span three counties, namely Trans Nzoia, Elgeyo Marakwet and West Pokot. The Endebess Estate farm is set at the foot of Mount Elgon, an extinct shield volcano on the border of Uganda and Kenya.
As far back as the 1940's, Endebess Estate milled and processed its own coffee as well as neighboring small producers. It used to be owned and managed by Mr. E.W. D'Ollier, and in 1976 it was sold to Gatatha Farmers Co Ltd. and then sold again in 2011 to its current owner and manager, Kaitet Tea Plantations.
Kaitet Plantations focuses on the welfare of its employees and takes social responsibility seriously. The farm financed over 15 housing renovations, sponsored two high school students, and hopes its social responsibility program will expand once the farm reaches greater profitability. In the medium term, Endebess Estate is working on its certification status as infrastructure is being improved.
Cupping notes: Jammy, with notes of blueberry, cherry and dessert wine. Round body.


Region                 Northern Rift Valley
Growing Altitude  1,750-1,950 masl
Arabica Variety     Batian, Ruiru 11, SL 28 and SL 34
Harvest Period       November - December
Milling Process       Fully Washed, Sundried
Arrived:                 August 23, 2020


Ethiopia YIRGACHEFFE Gedeb 3 Jemila Natural-Not Available


 Jemila is a dry mill who works with the Dumerso processing station, consolidating and prepping their finished coffees for transit to Addis, and export. This particular coffee is a blend of different natural lots from Dumerso throughout harvest. The Dumerso station is owned and operated by Dirshaye Ferenju and his family. Dumerso’s contributing farmers number over 800, and average about four acres of farmland each. Their naturals are floral and syrupy, the result of careful sorting and drying routines executed to perfection throughout the dramatic temperature fluctuations of Yirgacheffe’s unique high-elevation climate. It’s a tough business being a private miller, or processor, in Gedeo. The sheer density of competition among washing stations tends to push cherry prices as high as double throughout a single harvest, and privates often don’t have the backing of a larger union to secure financing, regulate cherry prices, or bring export costs down with centralized milling and marketing. Successful private millers like Jemila need to be not only standout quality service providers to stay afloat; they must also be excellent business developers with connections and community standing, in order to continue winning the business of processors and buyers alike, and stay afloat for the long term.

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Tanzania Ngorongoro Vohora Family Carbonic Maceration-Not Available


is sourced from a family-owned estate located in the Karatu district, Tanzania. The lowest and highest elevations in all of Africa, the floor of Lake Tanganyika (352 meters below sea level) and Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 meters above sea level) are both located in Tanzania. The Vohora's estates are located between these commanding landmarks, with 250 acres of coffee cultivated on the rim of the Ngorongoro crater, which is the largest unbroken caldera in the world and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. More than 25,000 wild animals, including the largest population of lions, make their home within the crater walls. The Vohora family has owned and managed the Finagro Estate for three generations. Finagro has 450 acres of coffee split between two coffee farms (Ascona and Helgoland), a newly renovated wet-mill, and a dry mill facility, which ensures quality control and traceability throughout the entire process. The farms are also well diversified with more than 120 bee hives for honey production, Macadamia tree nursery producing more than 10,000 seedlings per year and an agroforestry program. Finagro has 50 full-time employees and nearly 500 people employed during the peak of the harvest.
 Carbonic maceration is a term lifted from the wine industry and it applies to the fermentation method. First, the coffee cherries are siphoned to remove low-density “floaters,” then added to a large barrel filled with clean water. The barrel is sealed with a one-way valve for off-gassing: the environment allows no new oxygen in (this is the “carbonic” environment). In traditional carbonic maceration in winemaking, grapes are fermented whole, without crushing. The technique yields fruity tasting wines that can be consumed soon after bottling. For coffee, this unique fermentation environment limits the populations of microbes and demonstrably changes the fermentation type.
The “maceration” or “microbial digestion” – basically fermentation – occurs at different rates in the layers in the barrel. The coffee at the bottom of the barrel will be lightly crushed and undergo a more traditional fermentation, whereas the intact cherries closer to the top ferment more slowly, inside the skin of the coffee fruit. After 5-7 days in the barrel, the water becomes filled with fermenting enzymes and byproducts and begins to foam out the valve. This is the indication for Neel to end fermentation, thereafter pulping the fruit and sending it straight to the drying tables..


Grower                       2574 producers organized around the Wata Dara Cooperative
Variety                       Indigenous cultivars
Region                        Dara District, Sidama Zone, Southern Nations Nationalities, and Peoples' Region, Ethiopia
Harvest                       October – December
Altitude                      1820 masl
Soil                             Vertisol
Process                        Fully washed and dried on elevated tables
Certifications               Organic
Crop:                           2019
Arrived:                       September 19, 2020


See Home Page for Quantity Discounts
1 - 4 pounds            
$6.00                     

Yemen Mocha El-Haymah Peaberry Microlot Green Coffee Beans-New Lower Price!!! - Not Available


Yemen Mocca El-Haymah Peaberry Microlot is sourced from family owned plots located in the Al-Haimah districts in the Sana'a governorate within the western highlands of Yemen, parallel to the Red Sea. Yemen is perhaps the most historic coffee growing region in the world, second only to Ethiopia, with a lineage spanning more than 2,000 years. Coffee production continues today with many of the same traditions dating back to the 15th century, like drying coffee naturally in the cherry on the rooftops of houses perched on the edges of steep mountain ridges. Mocca Peaberry is the product of 23 producers who work closely with an export company called Pearl of Tehama. Through the collaboration small producers have learned processing techniques to ensure consistency in their coffee. Pearl of Tehama is also providing localized receiving warehouses to ease the burden of transporting coffee and ensure safe storage. Pearl of Tehama is currently helping producers organize formally because recognized producer associations can solicit international assistance for need infrastructure improvements like roads, schools and water systems.


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Grower              800 producers organized around the Dumerso processing station and Jemila dry mill
Variety              Indigenous heirloom cultivars
Region               Gedeo Zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region, Ethiopia
Harvest              October - January

Arrived               April 9, 2021
Altitude             1800 – 1900 masl
Soil                    Vertisol
Process              Full natural and dried on raised beds

See Home Page for Quantity Discounts
1-4 lbs             
 7.00              

GEOGRAPHY
Region:                  Sipi, Kapchorwa District, Uganda & Chiapas, Mexico
Altitude                 1500 – 2500 MASL & 1200 – 1500 MASL
Harvest:                 September – February & October – March
PRODUCER              Sipi Falls Coffee Project & Grupo de Asesores de Producción Orgánica y Sustentable (GRAPOS)
VARIETY                  Bourbon: SL14, SL28, and Blue Mountain & Bourbon, Caturra, Catuai, and Typica
PROCESSING            Fully washed | Swiss Water® Decaffeinated
Arrived:                   April 9, 2021

See Home Page for Quantity Discounts
1 - 4 pounds     
 $6.75             

 

Grower
131 coffee producers from Al Qafr, Ibb, in Yemen
Variety                 Hawari
Region                  Al Qafr, Ibb, Yemen
Harvest                 October - February
Altitude                1300 – 1500 meters
Soil                       Sandy loam
Process                 Full natural and dried on rooftops
Arrived:                    August 23,  2020


See Home Page for Quantity Discounts
1-4 lbs             
 $11.50              

Rift Valley Swiss Water Process DECAF Organic


The first coffee in this blend is sourced from family owned farms located in the Bugisu region on the slopes of Mount Elgon in the Kapchorwa district, Uganda. The Bugisu region is named after the Bugisu people who are indigenous to this area. The Sipi Falls coffee project, named after a trio of majestic waterfalls, was established in 1999 to strengthen quality coffee production in the region and create a sustainable income for farmers.

The second coffee in this blend is sourced from family owned farms organized around the Grupo de Asesores de Producción Orgánica y Sustentables (GRAPOS), a farmers group operating in the municipalities of Unión Juárez, Cacahoatan, and Tapachula located within the state of Chiapas, Mexico. GRAPOS has invested in nurseries to support farm renovation, and diversification initiatives including a women’s knitting program and mushroom cultivation project aimed at creating other sources of income.


NOTES:
FLAVOR Cocoa, marshmallow, woodsy
BODY Full
ACIDITY Mild

Ethiopia Yirgacheffe Gedeb/KochereWuri Primium Preparation Natural-Not Available


It’s an exciting time to be buying in Gedeb, where we expect to see new layers of coffee continuously unfold as its local industry accelerates. Currently there are two private washing stations in Worka-Sakaro, one of which is Wuri, whose name in the Gedeo language translates to “high altitude”. The station was originally constructed in 2012 and today is owned by Ranger Industry & Trading PLC. Wuri, aside from producing floral and syrupy naturals, is also focused on achieving a diversity of processing and milling standards in order to iterate on local traditions and expand expectations of coffees from this area. Our “Premium Preparation” lots, while carefully sundried in a single layer like a typical Ethiopia natural, are treated to additional sorting at the dry mill, including extra passes in the color sorter and longer, slower hand-removal of imperfections. 
The extra work definitely shows in the cup. Private processors like Wuri are a thing to behold. It’s a tough business being a private processor in Gedeo, as the sheer density of competition among washing stations tends to push cherry prices as high as double throughout a single harvest, and privates often don’t have the backing of a larger union to secure financing, regulate cherry prices, or bring export costs down with centralized milling and marketing. Successful private washing stations like Wuri, then, need to be not only standout quality processors to stay afloat; they must also be excellent business developers with connections and community standing, in order to continue winning the business of farmers and buyers alike, and stay afloat for the long term.
Importers Cupping notes: Honey, Cardamom, Blueberry, Jasmine
Grower.              850 producers organized around Wuri Processing Station
Variety                Indigenous cultivars
Region                 Worka-Sakaro, Gedeb District, Gedeo Zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and                                 Peoples' Region, Ethiopia
Harvest                October – January
Altitude               2050 – 2100 masl
Soil                      Vertisol
Process                Full natural and dried on raised beds
Crop                    2020
Arrived                January 23, 2021

Yemen Mocca Matari Microlot - Not Available


Yemen is perhaps the most historic coffee growing region in the world, second only to Ethiopia, with a lineage spanning more than 2,000 years. Coffee production continues today with many of the same traditions dating back to the 15th century, like drying coffee naturally in the cherry on the rooftops of houses perched on the edges of steep mountain ridges. Yet modern Yemen continues to suffer from protracted conflict that has cost almost 100,000 lives, displaced over 3 million, and left two-thirds of the country in need of food or medical aid. So when new crop arrives we pause to remember and honor the coffee. What makes the quality so special is that it hinges on a relationship of trust, which has been constant for decades despite all the odds.  In recent years, the export company called Pearl of Tehama has had to reinvent itself to reach and support producers. Providing things like localized receiving warehouses has eased the burden of transporting coffee and ensured safe storage. Pearl of Tehama is currently helping producers organize formally because recognized producer associations can solicit international assistance for needed infrastructure improvements like roads, schools and water systems.
The best traditional dry-processed coffees of Yemen and Harrar have attained a near-mythical status among older generations of specialty buyers. Mythical for the recalled quality as much as the fact that, for the most part these days, they are nearly impossible to find. War, drought, and the passing of several key players has relegated these coffees to the dustbin of history, to be sniffed at and disregarded by those currently in the know, or so we are told. And yet, even amidst upheaval, coffee continues to be produced. And while much of it isn’t anything special anymore, there is the odd lot which arrives so resplendent with the dark fruits and spices of yesteryear that to not sing its praises would be to disrespect nearly everything that has come before us. Our recent arrival of Yemen Mattariari is such a coffee. Practically exploding with blueberry, black cherry, fig and date, this is natural processing as it was meant to be. This is desert coffee, dried in such low humidity conditions that fermented, acetic flavors never have the chance to develop in the first place. A light that shines in the dark. Milled and exported by a woman, Fatoum Muslot, from a country in which women are too often marginalized, this fruited gem is the kind of retro-futurism I want to be a part of..

Ethiopia Sidama Watadara Organic Washed-Not Available


Coffees produced by SCFCU member cooperatives are shade grown in low densities under the canopies of indigenous trees and enset (false banana), a staple food crop for Sidama families. The Sidama region stretches across the rugged mountains of Bensa to the valleys of Dale and Aleta Wendo – which provide a range of quality profiles that exemplify this wealth of production landscapes.

Sidama washed coffees show pronounced acidity, fruit flavors varying from red fruits to blueberry and sweet organic to tangy lemon aromas and flavors, medium body and a bitter cocoa finish. In Sidama regions of higher altitudes – often called “Yirgacheffe type” coffees – the coffee shows the characteristic and delicate flavors of bergamot and lemon zest.

Coop Coffees began sourcing directly from SCFCU in 2009. Since then, we have had the opportunity to develop direct relationships with several of the SCFCU community based cooperatives over the years, including Shilcho, Homacho Waeno, Talamo, Bona, Abela Galuko and Fero Cooperatives.



Ethiopia Gedeb Banko Gotiti Lot 126 Cert.Organic Washed-Not Available


Gedeb is a bustling district in the southeastern corner of Gedeo Zone (also known as Yirgacheffe), with a terroir and identity all its own. The expansive and diverse farming communities here put out washed coffees snappy with layered acids, fruit syrup flavors, and lemonade-like clarity. Naturals in particular are stunningly jammy, remaining perfume-like for months after arrival. Processing networks in Gedeb include unionized coops and independent washing stations, but also more and more single farmers with export permissions and ambitious quality goals, who are increasing their returns and demanding feedback.Blind Assessment: Complex, intricate, deeply sweet. Star jasmine, cocoa nib, nectarine, frankincense, spearmint in aroma and cup. Bright, juicy acidity; plush, velvety mouthfeel. Resonant, flavor-saturated finish leads with notes of star jasmine and nectarine, balanced by suggestions of crisp cocoa.
Notes: Southern Ethiopia coffees like this one are produced from distinctive traditional Ethiopian landrace varieties of Arabica long grown in the region. Processed by the wet or washed method (fruit skin and pulp are removed before drying). 
The Bottom Line : An elegant, crisply sweet, floral-driven washed Yirgacheffe cup anchored by deep cocoa suggestions..
Grower                          METAD Agricultural Development PLC
Variety                           Indigenous heirloom varieties
Region           Banko Gotiti, Gedeb, Gedeo Zone, Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples' Region, Harvest                           October - December
Altitude                          1600 - 2300 masl
Soil                                 Clay minerals
Process: Depulped and fermented for 36-48 hours, double washed, and dried on raised beds in the sun
Certifications                    Organic
Crop                                  2020
Arrived                              November 21, 2020

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1-4 lbs              
 $7.75               

Burundi Sogestal Muminwa Bourbon Washed-Not Available


Burundi has an ideal terrain for coffee, with growing regions dispersed in the central and northern areas. Burundi is dominated by hills and mountains, with considerable altitude variation, from the lowest point being the lake at 772 meters above sea level  to the top of Mount Heha at 2670 meters. We have offered a selection of large and small lots from areas Kirimiro, Ngozi and Kayanza in the past. These were formerly available as "Sogestal" coffees, but now can be sourced from private mills as well. A Sogestal is a regional grouping of washing stations (wet mills).
This is an FW A grade washed coffee from the Sogestal Mumirwa growers association in the Mumirwa region of western Burundi. Sogestal Mumirwa was founded in 1991 and has since grown to include 13 washing stations and produce between 1200 and 1500 tons of coffee annually. Growing altitude for this lot is around 1,750 masl and it is comprised of entirely


SUBREGION:               Cibitoke, Bubanza, Bujumbura, Rumonge, and Makamba < Mumirwa
WET MILL:                   MC Kennon
PROCESSING:              Washed
BAG TYPE:                   Grain Pro / Ecotact
PLANT SPECIES:           Arabica
VARIETAL:                   Bourbon
COFFEE GRADE:          BDI CA FW A
ALTITUDE:                   >1700m
ARRIVED:                    May 10, 2020


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1-4 lbs               
 $              


          



Grower                   Sipi Falls Coffee Project
Variety                   Bourbon: SL14, SL28, and Blue Mountain
Region                    Sipi, Kapchorwa District, Uganda
Harvest                   September - February
Altitude                  1000 – 1900 masl
Soil                         Volcanic loam
Process                    Fully Washed and dried in the sun
Certification            Organic, Rainforest Alliance
Crop                        2020
Arrived                    March 15, 2021

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1-4 lbs              
 $6.00               

 


Ethiopia Guji Shakiso Natural-Not Available


There are few entrances to Guji--a distant and heavily forested swath of land stretching southeast through the lower corner of the massive Oromia region--and none of these routes are short, or for the queasy, in any way. Guji is heavy with primary forest thanks to the Guji tribe, a part of Ethiopia’s vast and diverse Oromo nation, who have for generations organized to reduce mining and logging outfits where they can, in a struggle to conserve the land’s sacred canopy.   And yet the unmatched natural surroundings can be a hardship for farmers bringing coffee to market. The majority of the zone can be a full day’s drive (or many days’ walk) from the nearest trading centers of Gedeb or Dilla to the west, which often leaves many coffee farmers with few options, and resulting cherry prices often as low as half of neighboring Gedeo or Sidama zones. The gorgeous arabica genetics of this area, blessed by some of the country’s healthiest biodiversity, is often ruined in transit, or commodified and blended into lower grades as a result of the difficult geography, and one way or another rarely gets a fair showing in the market. Were it not for groups like the Shakiso washing station, owned and operated by Abeyot Boru, options would be tougher for hundreds of small farmers in the Odo Shakiso district, Guji’s central district and its largest. Along with a handful of other local processors, Abeyot and his business are preserving the fresh terroir of this special zone for the world to enjoy.  The Shakiso washing station purchases cherry from 700 farmers averaging just 2 hectares of land each, shared between coffee, enset, and other subsistence crops. After being delivered and hand-sorted, cherries are turned consistently in a single layer on raised beds for as long as three weeks, depending on the temperatures. As is common in Ethiopia’s south, drying beds are typically covered during the hottest afternoon hours, and at night to protect the fragile fruit from settling humidity. The resulting naturals are dense and berry-like, with juicy acids and satisfying textures.
Importers cupping notes:  ORANGE, STRAWBERRY, FLORAL, CREAM


Grower:           The Vohora Family, Edelweiss/Ascona/Helgoland Estates
Variety:           Batian, Blue Mountain Typica, Bourbon, Kent, SL-28
Region:            Southern slopes of the Ngorongoro Caldera, Karatu District, Arusha Region,    Tanzania
Harvest:          July - December 2019
Altitude:          1600 - 1850 masl
Soil:                 Volcanic loam
Process:           Siphoned for floaters, then fermented in the whole cherry underwater for 5-7 days via carbonic maceration, then pulped and dried on raised beds
Arrived:            August 1, 2020

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1 - 4 pounds     
 $7.00