The southern Ethiopian region of Guji was, prior to the early 2000s, considered to be part of Sidama. Since being recognized as a distinct region, it’s fast become one of favorite places to search for coffees. It’s forested hillsides, high altitude, and volcanic soils check off many of the requisites for growing high quality coffee. The Kayon Mountain Coffee Farm is 500 hectares of which about 300 hectares planted in coffee and has been owned and operated by Ismael Hassen Aredo and his family since 2012. It is located 510 kilometers south of Addis Ababa, and the property crosses the border of two villages—Taro and Sewana—located in the Oromia region, in the Guji zone of the Shakiso district of Ethiopia. 
Ismael oversees a staff of 25 permanent full-time and 300 seasonal employees, and the farm management offers free transportation services as well as financial support for building schools and administration buildings for the community. The farm competes with a nearby mining village for seasonal workers, so Ismael and his family pay higher wages to their pickers to incentivize them to return year after year. Kayon Mountain farm has a nursery on-site and utilizes shade (acacia and other indigenous trees) to protect the coffee as well as for creating compost to fertilize naturally. Ismael is meticulous about not only the structure and management of the farm itself but also the harvesting and processing.