Ethiopia Arbegona

This lot comes to us in partnership with the Daye Bensa exporter. Daye Bensa is very much a community-focussed business that aims to deliver additional bonus payment to the farmers based on the volume they contribute to their station micro-lots, and they reward consistency in both volume and quality to their farmers year after year.

Traceability is extremely important during the production of micro lots. The record-keeping book is carefully handled and separation of lots is key to guaranteeing the highest level of quality. When the cherries are received they are separated by village, the coffee is then kept separate throughout drying, processing, and storage, with labels stating the delivery dates, farm name, lot number, and more details related to the particular lot. They also run an out-growers program that benefits farmers with an off-season payment on top of the harvest fee and have been active in working to improve the farmers’ living situations and standards, with healthcare access, utilities, education and transport infrastructure. Additionally, Daye Bensa are working with the school principals in the villages surrounding the farms, providing basic school materials for the students.

This coffee comes from small plots in the highland area of Arbegona which benefits from the very high altitude of 2200 masl, and is processed by the washing station of the same name. 391 farmers contributed cherry to the lot whose small farms are between 3-5 hectares. This season (2021/22) farmers were paid 70 Ethiopian Birr/kg of cherry with an additional payment of 3-5 Birr/kg as an off-season payment. Coffee is the main cash crop in this area, though many other crops grow here such as sugar cane, false banana, spices and vegetables.

This is naturally processed lot. Cherries are sorted based on density and quality by floating them in large water tanks. After flotation, the cherries are transferred to African raised beds with mesh nets. The coffee is rotated every 30 minutes for even dryness and to control the fermentation process. The average drying time takes about 12-15 days based on the temperature and humidity. Then the dried cherries are stored in warehouses for flavour development.