Sourcing coffees in Ethiopia can often look very different when compared to other countries – say in Central America, where we would ordinarily purchase directly from the producers. In Ethiopia, coffee is largely grown in small home gardens, tended to by the family. From there, producers will sell their unprocessed coffee cherries to local washing stations.
This lot is compiled of coffees from over 320 producers, who all delivered their coffee to the Bona Washing Station in Bona Zuria, Sidama.
Bona Zuria, a small sub-region in Sidama, has gained quite a reputation recently, with many high placing producers in the Ethiopian Cup of Excellence competition calling the area home. That success has been due to a combination of many different factors – amazing terroir and some of the highest altitude we’ve seen (up to 2,250 masl) cannot be ignored, but hard work and dedication are equally as important. Coffee cherries attract high prices in Bona Zuria, and with those prices comes many highly skilled pickers, selecting only the ripest coffee cherries to bring to the washing stations.
Experimental fermentation and processing is still quite new in Ethiopia, but the team at the Bona Washing Station are skilled. This coffee was fermented n sealed, CO2 filled tanks, for 96hrs before being dried on raised beds.
