THE BEAN: The bean is a fully wash processTHE COFFEE: Chocolate brownie, lemon-lime, nectarine, spicy rioja, violets
Varietals: Heirloom
Process: Natural Wash
Region: Yirgacheffe
Continent: Africa
Country: Ethiopia
Elevation: 2000-2100
In the south of Gededo County in Kochere Yirgacheffe you’ll find Banko Gotiti- a small town about 2020 m above sea level. We connected to this community through Legu Trading PLC- a company that operates washings stations in the south along with a mill and export business in Addis. Sultan Legesse, a member of the Legu team, is an old friend of ours going back about 5 years now. When he presented this lot from their washing station in Kochere, it was an instant yes!The washing station in Gotiti processes cherry from about 2000 smallholder farmers in the surrounding area. Each contribute fruit from their small 1 hectare or less farms. With farms this small, coffee is not the sole income for farmers in this area. Most also produce other fruits and vegetables both for income and for their personal intake.Legu has done a lot to provide more consistent financial stability for this community. Not only through premiums for red ripe cherries, but also by hiring hundreds of members of the community to work at the washing station. We’re hoping to connect more closely with this washing station in the next harvest to see where we might be able to add some value to an already very successful organization.
ETHIOPIA- Yirgacheffe
Kossa Geshe is located in Western Ethiopia’s Limmu Kossa District, in the highlands of the Kebena Forest. This 1,000 hectare farm was established in 2009 as a land grant from Ethiopia’s investment agency to safeguard some of the last remaining dense forest in the country. Abdul runs the show. His first harvest was 2016 and Crop to Cup has bought every bean since, entranced by his qualities and the cup characteristics from day one. The story of Kossa Geshe is one of meteoric rise. In 2016 he began running the farm and two years later his coffee won a Good Food Award – one of the first coffees out of the west to earn the distinction and to truly compete with the excellent naturals coming from Southern Ethiopias Sidamo and Yirgacheffe regions. Abdul continues to reinvest. From a new moisture meter, to a new 7500 m sq drying patio (to go with raised beds) completed in 2018. It goes without saying that quality is continually on his mind.
